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Giovanni Battista Giorgini Giovanni Battista Giorgini Biography
Giovanni
Battista Giorgini, "Bista" for
those who knew him, was born in 1898, into a large and noble family of the Tuscan
town of Lucca. Among his ancestors we fìnd another Giovanni Battista,
Senator and University Professor of law at the Scuola Normale di Pisa, son in law of the famous writer Alessandro Manzoni. At a very young age, Bista Giorgini participated
in the World War I fightings in the trenches of the Alps and afterwards,
for a short period, he took care of his family's marble quarries in
Carrara. At that time he married "Nella" Nanni and they
had three children: Graziella, Vittorio and Matilde.
Trying to pursue his goal of undertaking a diplomatic
career, he decided to move to Florence, where in 1923 he opened a
buying office in order to accomplish his aspirations to travel and
to see foreign countries. To establish his first working contacts he immediately
traveled to the United States with two main goals in mind: to understand the
tastes and the requirements of the American market and to promote
Italian merchandise. The business developed quickly and flourished
until 1929, when it came to a halt due to the aftermath of the Black
Friday in America. The resumption of the business was slow and the
years until World War II were very difficult.
During the conflict, Bista was in command of an
emplacement on the Alps. In 1943 he was back at home, at that time
his family lived in Bellosguardo, a small village located on a hill
overlooking the town of Florence. When the Allied forces approached
Florence, their Headquarters were established in the house of the
Giorginis as they all spoke a perfect English. Graziella filled the
position of the interpreter. In 1944, as soon as the town was liberated,
Giorgini was asked to open the Allied Forces Gift Shop. Under his
successful management more branches were established in other cities
in Northen Italy.
To Giorgini this collaboration meant the re-imbarkment
on the export business. After the end of the war, he returned to the United
States to re-approach his old partners. In a few years his office would
represent the largest importers and distributors for the United States
and Canada. Among his clients were well known retailers: I.
Magnin, B. Altman, Bergdorf Goodman, H. Morgan, Tiffany, Bonwit Teller, Sakowitz,
etc. The products he exported were those known for their best Italian
handicraft, from Apparel to Home and Gift: Knitwear, Ceramics, Glass, Straw,
Leather, Shoes, etc. Giorgini unified in his personality all the aspects
that made his success possible. He was an entrepreneur but, having a passion for
antiques and art and being a collector thereof, he was also a designer.
His taste and ability to anticipate the fashion
movements led him to always propose new He was the first one to introduce the American
shoe sizes in Italy. Furthermore, he was distinguished by an excellent
and strong sense for public relations, and this personal quality made
him a precursor.
Making use of the benefits of his notable origins
and friendships, he called to client's attention, inveigling them in elegant evenings
in his wonderful house in Via Serragli in Florence. He furnished his house with antiques and pieces
of art, creating an atmosphere that filled his foreign guests with a wonderful
delight. He combined business with recreational events, such as dances and concerts,
anticipating a common habit of our times. In the late 40s one of his main focuses was to
promote Italian Fashion which until then did not exist as an independent movement, since
the Italian Fashion Houses were all copying their models from Paris.
After strenuous efforts of contacting Italian Fashion Houses, the
American Press and some American buyers, he was finally able to organize
the "First Italian High Fashion Show" in February 1951, leading
Italian Fashion to success.
Therefore Giorgini can certainly be considered
a pioneer in his efforts to establish an
Italian fashion and he exhibited great courage in the attempt
to compete with the French leadership. He made the right contacts both in the United
States and in Italy and he succeeded. Today one of Italy's main industries
revolves around fashion. This industry has also contributed to giving
a signed denomination to "Made in Italy" merchandise. For Bista these were the years of maximum success
and development. Buyers from all Truman, ambassadors and cultural personalities
were hosted in Via dei Serragli.
Giorgini attended to the world of fashion until
1965, introducing to the In the 60s he set for a new challenge: the discovery
of the Japanese market. Once again his initiative Among the most important Japanese clients was
Isetan, one of the largest department stores in the country.
After Giorgini's death, in 1971, his buying office,
the G.B. Giorgini srl, continued its activities, managed by his daughter Matilde
and Mr. Gianni Ghini, who had been collaborating with Giorgini for many years. At
the beginning of the 80s his grandson Giovanni Battista Jr. joined the company and in
1991 became its managing director. Today the office represents important clients
practically on every continent, from the United States and Canada
to South America, Australia, Asia and Europe.
Florence, October 2002
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