Liu Jo (stylized as LIU•JO) is an Italian

high fashion ''Haute couture'' (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design that is constructed by hand from start-to-finish. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became th ...

company founded by Marchi brothers in 1995 in

Carpi Carpi may refer to: Places * Carpi, Emilia-Romagna, a large town in the province of Modena, central Italy * Carpi (Africa), a city and former diocese of Roman Africa, now a Latin Catholic titular bishopric People * Carpi (people), an ancie ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. As of 2022 the company has 160 stores in

and another 200 located primarily in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

History

Liu Jo was born as a small textile industry, and developed during the mid-1990s into a major Italian brand of

pret-a-porter Ready-to-wear (or ''prêt-à-porter''; abbreviated RTW; "off-the-rack" or "off-the-peg" in casual use) is the term for ready-made garments, sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothin ...

fashion. The name Liu Jo derives from the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

s used by Marco Marchi (Jo) and one of his youth companions (Liu). The first launch of the Liu Jo and Liu Jeans collections on the Italian market were first distributed through the multi-brand channel and, later on the single-brand channel both on the domestic market and abroad. In the next five years Liu Jo expanded its productions launching an Accessories collection of jewels and watches, a Baby collection for little girls, an Underwear and Beachwear collection as well as Homewear. Since 2008, Liu Jo has its own Shoes collection. The Spring-summer 2011 collection advertising campaign features model

Kate Moss Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is a British model. Arriving at the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her to fas ...

. In 2012, Liujo opened a 350 square meters

flagship store A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

in Milan. The shop has been realised by the Italian contract company L&S group. In 2013, Liu Jo signed a licensure agreement with Marchon Eyewear to manufacture eyewear. The Fall-winter 2014 collection advertising campaign features model

Dree Hemingway Dree Louise Crisman Hemingway (born December 4, 1987) is an American fashion model and actress. She gained attention playing the lead in American director Sean Baker's feature '' Starlet'' (2012). She has since become known for her high-profile ...

. Liu Jo collaborated in 2016 with

Karlie Kloss Karlie Elizabeth Kloss (born August 3, 1992) is an American fashion model. ''Vogue Paris'' declared her one of the "top 30 models of the 2000s" when she was 17. Kloss was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2013 until 2015; she resigned to study at ...

and

Jourdan Dunn Jourdan Sherise Dunn (born 3 August 1990) is a British model. She was discovered in Hammersmith Primark in 2006 and signed to The Squad Management in London. She began appearing on international runways in early 2007. In February 2008, she was t ...

followed in 2017 by Martha Hunt and

Jasmine Tookes Jasmine Tookes (born February 1, 1991) is an American model and former Victoria's Secret Angel. Early life Tookes was born and raised in Huntington Beach, California. She has a younger sister, who is 19 years her junior. She did gymnastics for ...

from spring-summer season, and

Joan Smalls Joan Smalls Rodriguez (born July 11, 1988) is a Puerto Rican supermodel and actress. In 2011, she became the first Latina model to represent Estée Lauder cosmetics. In 2013, she entered ''Forbes'' magazine's "World's Highest-Paid Models" list ...

and Anna Mila Guyenz for autumn-winter season. Liu Jo started to sponsor the Bologna football team in 2016, with the home hostesses wearing company's clothing for home league games. In the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons of Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

Championship, Liu Jo was the main sponsor of Bologna. In March 2017, a corporate reorganization of the company was made, with brother Vannis leaving the board and remaining a shareholder with about 10%, while brother Marco remaining the

controlling shareholder A controlling interest is an ownership interest in a corporation with enough voting stock shares to prevail in any stockholders' motion. A majority of voting shares (over 50%) is always a controlling interest. When a party holds less than the majo ...

. On 5 November 2019, the founder and creative director of Liu Jo, Marco Marchi, enters through a capital increase in

Coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

chain with 15%. Also in November 2019 Liu Jo acquires

Blufin Blufin S.p.A. is an Italian fashion house founded by Anna Molinari and her late husband Gianpaolo Tarabini. The core brand is Blumarine, which they started in 1977, followed by Miss Blumarine (1987, 8- to 14-year-old girls), Blugirl (1995, for te ...

, the

fashion house Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...

founded in Carpi by

Anna Molinari Blufin S.p.A. is an Italian fashion house founded by Anna Molinari and her late husband Gianpaolo Tarabini. The core brand is Blumarine, which they started in 1977, followed by Miss Blumarine (1987, 8- to 14-year-old girls), Blugirl (1995, for te ...

and Gianpaolo Tarabini with the Blu Girl and Miss Blumarine brands, as part of an operation that leads to the birth of "Italian Excellence", a holding company aggregation of high-end brands. Anna Molinari will remain in the role of ambassador.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu Jo Italian brands Italian companies established in 1995 Carpi, Emilia-Romagna Companies based in the Province of Modena Clothing brands of Italy Clothing companies of Italy Clothing companies established in 1995 High fashion brands Luxury brands Design companies established in 1995 Manufacturing companies of Italy Bags (fashion) Eyewear brands of Italy Shoe companies of Italy Watch manufacturing companies of Italy