MILAN — Michele Giglio, the founder of the Italian Giglio luxury multibrand boutique, died Tuesday at 86 in his hometown of Palermo, Italy.
Born in 1939, Giglio planted the first seeds of the family retail business by opening a brick-and-mortar fashion store in Palermo, on the island of Sicily, in 1965. The company would then grow and add more physical stores in the city, totaling five units.
In 1996 his sons Giuseppe and Federico Giglio, currently co-chief executive officers, took the business into the e-commerce space, unveiling Giglio.com. The latter functions as a marketplace with around 200 brick-and-mortar stores as partners, mainly based in Italy, in addition to France and Spain, among other countries. Since 2021 the company has been listed on the AIM Italia program of the Milan Stock Exchange dedicated to small and medium-size companies.
A front-row fixture at Milan Fashion Week for decades, Michele Giglio had most recently relinquished his executive roles within the family business, maintaining his role as a board member and shareholder. As per the company’s statute, he won’t be replaced on the board, the company said.
“A visionary founder and tireless leader, he was a man who looked to the world while remaining deeply connected to his roots and his beloved Palermo. Guided by an old-world charm and an unbounded passion for fashion, he dedicated his life to the dream of a city that is always elegant and forward-thinking. His example of dedication and integrity will forever be our compass,” Giglio.com said in a statement.
“The most valuable lesson our father taught us is that style doesn’t reside solely in clothing, but in the way we choose to navigate the world,” Giuseppe Giglio told WWD.
“It’s a lesson we’ve carried from his historic storefronts to the web: the awareness that behind every sale beats a human heart, and that every package sent out is not just merchandise, but a dream, delivered with the same care and professionalism as in the past,” echoed his brother Federico.
“The friendship that binds myself and all the members of Camera Buyer to Michele Giglio is one of those long-standing relationships, born in the early days of our industry, in a context of shared growth, exchange, and deep mutual respect, not just as entrepreneurs, but first and foremost as individuals,” said Maura Basili, president of the association Camera Buyer Italia.
“Today, we remember him with heartfelt emotion: Michele Giglio was not only a brilliant entrepreneur and a true visionary, but also a dear friend. He was among the first to drive change in the dynamics of retail, paving the way for a path of innovation and evolution that is now successfully carried forward with dedication by his sons, Giuseppe and Federico, to whom we extend our deepest respect and warmest affection,” she said.
The funeral service was held Wednesday at the Church of Santa Maria di Monserrato, also known as the Church of the Crosses, in Palermo.