Mercatino Michela is one of those places well known to those who frequent the centre and the “cinque vie” area. Just wait at the bus stop at the end of via Zambonate and look up towards the shutters. You’ll see the small windows with the green signs of this original shop, open since 1991.
It was Ilde Montanari – known by everyone as Michela - who opened it. We met together with the Urban District of Commerce, to find out about the history of her business.
Michela chose our city as home for her shop. "I had worked in Milan for three years always in the used clothing sector and I was looking for a place to create my shop. I went to Brescia and Verona but then when I arrived in Bergamo I was enchanted by its extraordinary beauty and I stopped".
Michela's story began in Taranto shortly after graduating from art school: "I wanted to continue studying and enrol in architecture but to do so I would have had to move and at the time my mum wouldn't let me."
So, that was how as a strong and daring girl with a certain passion for clothes, she began to design and create her first fashion line. Determination and ability - as well as the love for her husband - then brought her to Milan where for three years she was in charge of a designer clothes shop right in via della Spiga, in the heart of the main high-end shopping area.
It was in those years that Michela developed a great competence in recognising the quality of garments (bags, shoes and clothing) and the unique characteristics of the stylists. Today it could be said that she has "an absolute eye" in swiftly recognising counterfeits and copies.
“Attention must be paid to fabrics, glues and details. Some haute couture garments often also have codes,” she explains, showing very elegant Valentino sandals with sure yet delicate gestures, like when handling works of art.
Fashion is for her a form of art and beauty and, as such, it must be accessible to everyone. Hence the idea of selling second-hand clothing and accessories in order to give everyone the opportunity to realise the dream of owning a designer garment, be it Armani, Gucci, Caovilla or Chanel and feel a little like Carrie Bradshaw of Sex And the City with her Manolo Blahnik.
In the shop on the first floor, ceremonial dresses reign and it is not uncommon to find a dress seen shortly before on the red carpet in Cannes or on some catwalk around the world.
Michela collects clothes and accessories from fashion shows or private events and after careful evaluation of the condition of the garment puts them back in circulation so that someone else can enjoy them. “I like the idea of giving a second life to things and making dreams come true for more people.”
There are diverse reasons that lead people to get rid of a designer garment. There are those who are bored with their wardrobe, those who cannot use the same dress on several occasions, those who have received a wrong gift and those who probably share with Michela the idea of putting some magic back into circulation.
Needless to hide that we would have liked to discover curious anecdotes and maybe some gossip, but Michela - Mrs. Montanari - has maintained strict privacy, confirming care and professionalism.
Finally, she opened the doors to the area dedicated to wedding dresses. The ones we usually look at in glossy magazines, that here become feasible for many. This is where she gave us her biggest smile. “We dress brides and grooms for their first, second and third marriages and now also de facto couples. Seeing them happy and excited in their dream outfit that they would never have imagined they could wear is for me the greatest satisfaction."
The modesty - which fashion sometimes neglects - finds its home here in Michela’s work, her sustainable project and her store.
Mercatino Michela is one of those places well known to those who frequent the centre and the “cinque vie” area. Just wait at the bus stop at the end of via Zambonate and look up towards the shutters. You’ll see the small windows with the green signs of this original shop, open since 1991.
It was Ilde Montanari – known by everyone as Michela - who opened it. We met together with the Urban District of Commerce, to find out about the history of her business.
Michela chose our city as home for her shop. "I had worked in Milan for three years always in the used clothing sector and I was looking for a place to create my shop. I went to Brescia and Verona but then when I arrived in Bergamo I was enchanted by its extraordinary beauty and I stopped".
Michela's story began in Taranto shortly after graduating from art school: "I wanted to continue studying and enrol in architecture but to do so I would have had to move and at the time my mum wouldn't let me."
So, that was how as a strong and daring girl with a certain passion for clothes, she began to design and create her first fashion line. Determination and ability - as well as the love for her husband - then brought her to Milan where for three years she was in charge of a designer clothes shop right in via della Spiga, in the heart of the main high-end shopping area.
It was in those years that Michela developed a great competence in recognising the quality of garments (bags, shoes and clothing) and the unique characteristics of the stylists. Today it could be said that she has "an absolute eye" in swiftly recognising counterfeits and copies.
“Attention must be paid to fabrics, glues and details. Some haute couture garments often also have codes,” she explains, showing very elegant Valentino sandals with sure yet delicate gestures, like when handling works of art.
Fashion is for her a form of art and beauty and, as such, it must be accessible to everyone. Hence the idea of selling second-hand clothing and accessories in order to give everyone the opportunity to realise the dream of owning a designer garment, be it Armani, Gucci, Caovilla or Chanel and feel a little like Carrie Bradshaw of Sex And the City with her Manolo Blahnik.
In the shop on the first floor, ceremonial dresses reign and it is not uncommon to find a dress seen shortly before on the red carpet in Cannes or on some catwalk around the world.
Michela collects clothes and accessories from fashion shows or private events and after careful evaluation of the condition of the garment puts them back in circulation so that someone else can enjoy them. “I like the idea of giving a second life to things and making dreams come true for more people.”
There are diverse reasons that lead people to get rid of a designer garment. There are those who are bored with their wardrobe, those who cannot use the same dress on several occasions, those who have received a wrong gift and those who probably share with Michela the idea of putting some magic back into circulation.
Needless to hide that we would have liked to discover curious anecdotes and maybe some gossip, but Michela - Mrs. Montanari - has maintained strict privacy, confirming care and professionalism.
Finally, she opened the doors to the area dedicated to wedding dresses. The ones we usually look at in glossy magazines, that here become feasible for many. This is where she gave us her biggest smile. “We dress brides and grooms for their first, second and third marriages and now also de facto couples. Seeing them happy and excited in their dream outfit that they would never have imagined they could wear is for me the greatest satisfaction."
The modesty - which fashion sometimes neglects - finds its home here in Michela’s work, her sustainable project and her store.
