Claudio Antonioli is the founder of one of Italy’s first and most significant multi-brand boutiques, Antonioli, located on the Via Pasquale Paoli in Milan. The 400 square-metre space stocks designers including Ann Demeulemeester , Dries van Noten, Haider Ackermann and Rick Owens , across menswear and womenswear, shoes and accessories. The store also features a dedicated entertainment and exhibition space designed by Vincenzo de Cotiis.
In addition to his work in retail, Antonioli co-founded streetwear conglomerate New Guards Group with Marcelo Burlon and Davide de Giglio, which went on to support the launch of Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh .
In June 2008, Antonioli launched an e-commerce site, where clients can make purchases with the aid of the store’s assistants and over one million images of the collections displayed online. Aware that his access to the inner sanctum’s of fashion is part of his store’s appeal, Antonioli added interviews with designers such as Rick Owens, Kris Van Assche and Damir Doma to the website. It also gave shoppers the opportunity to see the showrooms of some of the industry’s most enigmatic designers.
Antonioli, believes that “Fashion is without definition, it changes as fast as the world changes. Rather than following fashion, find a new way to be yourself every day.” His edit allows his customers to do so, and represents some of the most selective of Italy’s independent retailing.
