The Italian design duo have garnered press attention and industry adoration for their self-described “speciality couture” pieces. Despite only launching Attico in February 2016, their brand has enjoyed immense success, growing its wholesale distribution to include more than 140 international stockists (including Net-a-Porter, Joyce Hong Kong and Opening Ceremony), and boasting an average sell-through rate of 78 percent. The self-funded venture is predicted to grow 150 percent each season.
Despite having quite distinctive aesthetics — Ambrosio favours bold, eclectic fashions, while Tordini prefers a more minimalist, classic look — the pair fused their visions together in Attico, creating largely seasonless collections that injected luxury accents into everyday wares.
“With the clothing you feel like you don’t have to wear it for a special occasion,” said Tordini. “Like buying vintage, you feel that when you wear our pieces you’re wearing something unique.” Hero pieces include silk, kimono-inspired dresses and peignoir robes (ranging between $1,070 and $3,450), which can be paired with the label’s signature velvet ankle straps and drawstring pouch-bags.
The Milanese duo, who met through a mutual friend, began their careers as consultants for brands, magazines and street-style stars. Quickly rising to "It" girl status themselves, their distinctive styles catching the eyes of street style photographers come fashion week, their Instagram stardom gave the brand a boost when it launched, with Ambrosio and Tordini debuting the Autumn/Winter 2016 collection while on the fashion week circuit. “I cannot hide that Gilda and I had [such] big exposures, that in the beginning [it] helped to let people know that we were launching a new brand,” Tordini told BoF. Their first collection was sold to 70 stockists worldwide, with many styles quickly selling out.
In May 2019, Attico and Re/Done (known for its pre-loved denim) launched a sustainable capsule collection of upcycled vintage products.
Fashion is just the beginning: the pair plan to expand Attico — which takes its name from the Italian word for “penthouse” — into a lifestyle brand. “What we would love is to create a world that we started narrating with clothing and accessories and adding furniture, books and eventually make a platform that’s going to contain all these objects and you can navigate around the world of Attico,” Tordini told BoF.
