These Necklaces Thriving in Italy Are Giving Friendship Bracelets a Run for Their Money

MILAN — As expected, Taylor Swift came, performed and conquered. Milan wasn’t immune to the Swift fever, which culminated over the weekend when the American music sensation touched base in Italy for two dates of her successful “Eras Tour.”

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She brought buzz, a generous impact on the economy — which the Confcommercio Milano association of local enterprises estimated to amount to around 176.6 million euros in a study released ahead of the event — and plenty of friendship bracelets the roughly 130,000 fans pouring into the Meazza stadium were eager to exchange with one another, including with celebrities in attendance such as F1 stars Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly.

While the popularity of such an accessory here might wind down as the tour moves to Germany for the next two weeks, there’s an Italian indie brand that has been giving friendship bracelets a run for their money.

Named “Collanine Colorate,” a naïve moniker translating into English as “Colorful Little Necklaces,” the label was founded during the pandemic by Lorenzo Franchini and Giacomo Giovagnoli. After an initial phase in which the cofounders leveraged word-of-mouth growth and targeted placements on local influencers — gradually increasing the niche reach of their artisanal creations — the brand’s rise accelerated this year, propelled by the widening of the assortment, retail expansion and a series of strategic tie-ups.

Best known for its essential, colorful necklaces meant to be stacked and triggering childhood nostalgia with their simple beading technique, the brand has enriched its offering of accessories in natural stones and steel finishes by introducing pearls, shells, glass beads and polished hard stones in its catalogue.

Deadstock materials sourced across the country are also deployed in the range, making for unique pieces and contributing to the appeal, which results from irregular shapes and an overall sense of spontaneity that the cofounders intended to imbue into their venture from the beginning.

The accessible price point further contributed to success, with prices starting at around 30 euros. Yet Franchini and Giovagnoli are working to attract different targets and elevate the perception of the label with new designs lining sculptural shells in statement necklaces or carving them to create bold rings, which stretch the price range up to 160 euros.

Further introductions include a collection of charms and alphabet letters crafted in silver as well as a more polished line of earrings and pendants with colored hard stones smoothly cut in geometric shapes.

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The new styles and brand elevation were a natural response to the retail expansion of the digital native-brand, which at the end of last year stepped into brick-and-mortar by securing a corner at Rinascente’s Annex space, after a summer tour of itinerant pop-ups across Italy . Rinascente remains one of the key stockists of the brand, which doubled its presence this month by joining the jewelry showcase the retailer set up in its Milan location.

While distribution now includes temporary pop-ups and other department stores like Coin Excelsior in Verona, the brand recently unveiled its first flagship in Milan, nestled in the Via Mameli elegant residential area.

Dubbed “Casa Collanine,” the 538-square-foot, minimal white space also serves as headquarter of the brand and location for events. To be sure, Collanine Colorate has been tapped to stage workshops that could engage communities by brands including Coccinelle, Havaianas, Harmont & Blaine, Paula’s Choice and Victoria shoes, to name a few.

These added to product collaborations, which range from commercial tie-ups to those with a charity bent and are aimed at donating part of proceeds to local associations helping oncological patients or those suffering from food disorders.

Most recently, Collanine Colorate partnered with beauty retail chain Douglas on a luggage-shaped summer box made up of 19 cosmetics and a Collanine Colorate accessory. Retailing at 69.90 euros, the kit is available across 400 Douglas store in Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Croatia, in addition to the retailer’s e-commerce.

“We were in talks with Douglas since early 2024, but the turning point and confirmation arrived during the Sanremo [music festival] February,” recalled Franchini. During the popular local event, singer Angelina Mango was seen styling her Etro looks with one of the brand’s colorful necklaces, and she ended up winning the contest and therefore earning the golden ticket to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in May.

This month, Collanine Colorate created special necklaces for luxury boutique hotel Casa Angelina on the Amalfi coast, where the brand has also taken over a corner. Franchini said the goal is to increasingly strengthen ties with hotel and resort destinations, which seems to fit with the carefree mood of the brand, as well as to replicate these kinds of projects for the winter season in locations such as St. Moritz. Although distribution-wise the brand will mainly focus on its online store, Franchini said he eyes the opening of a physical outpost in Rome next, too.

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