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

high fashion (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term ''haute couture'' generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to th ...

company founded by Marchi brothers in 1995 in Carpi,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. As of 2022, the company has 160 stores in

and another 200 located primarily in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

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 (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a partic ...

fashion. The name Liu Jo derives from the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

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 an English model. Arriving towards 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 t ...

. In 2012, Liu Jo opened a 350 square meters

flagship store A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, 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 ...

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. Liu Jo collaborated in 2016 with

Karlie Kloss Karlie Elizabeth Kloss (born August 3, 1992) is an American model. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2013 until 2015, when she resigned to study at New York University. By 2019, Kloss had appeared on 40 international ''Vogue (magazine), V ...

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 ...

followed in 2017 by Martha Hunt and

Jasmine Tookes Jasmine Danielle Tookes (born February 1, 1991) is an American fashion model. 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 ten years and was ...

from spring-summer season, and

Joan Smalls Joan Smalls Rodriguez (born July 11, 1988) is a Puerto Rican model and television personality. In 2011, she became the first Latinas, Latina model to represent Estee Lauder Companies, Estée Lauder cosmetics. In 2013, she entered ''Forbes'' maga ...

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 (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

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. 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 object, usually round and flat, 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 to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

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

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

fashion house Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion design ...

founded in Carpi by Anna Molinari 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 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 Design companies established in 1995 Manufacturing companies of Italy Bags (fashion) Eyewear brands of Italy Shoe companies of Italy Watch manufacturing companies of Italy