Missoni x Bakalowits Brass Table Lamp with Huge Faceted Diamonds, Austria, 1970s

In 1953, Ottavio “Tai” Missoni (1921–2013) and Rosita Missoni (b. 1931) opened a small knitwear shop in Gallarate, Italy, paving the way for what would become an iconic style of colorful chevron knit.

Missoni began with a tracksuit, which featured zippers down the legs because, as Rosita recalls it, “Tai was too lazy to take off his shoes when putting them on.” The couple’s fashion really took off, though, once they discovered the Raschel knitting machine on a trip to a shawl factory. The machine enabled the Missonis to knit multiple colors in a zigzag pattern, a motif that would go on to become synonymous with the Missoni brand across everything from its alluring vintage day dresses and sweaters to its purses, seating and rugs.

Missoni held its first fashion show in Florence in 1967 and caused a bit of a sensation when the models’ Lurex dresses proved translucent under the lights at the Pitti Palace. Scandal aside, the show went down in history as a hit, and the Missonis soon made their debut in the United States with the help of legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who gave the variegated Missoni stripe the Vogue seal of approval, saying, “Who says a rainbow has seven colors? It has many shades.” (It was also Vreeland who reportedly introduced the Missonis to Neiman Marcus president Stanley Marcus, effectively shepherding the brand to the American market.)

Missoni’s many-shaded rainbow would soon become an emblem of the 1970s fashion scene, earning the brand a permanent place in the fashion canon. In 1973, the New York Times proclaimed: “Missoni’s weaved garments have ended up universal materialistic trifles, as Vuitton sacks and Gucci shoes.”

The brand branched into the home market in 1983, with Rosita overseeing this new venture, Missoni Home, which included furniture, textiles and accessories. Daughter Angela succeeded her mother at the helm of the brand, where she served as creative director until 2021 and is currently president; her brother Luca is CEO, while her daughter Margherita was creative director of M Missoni, a modestly priced offshoot that was discontinued in 2021.

Find vintage Missoni clothing and accessories today on 1stDibs.

Bakalowits & Söhne are prestigious purveyors of bespoke illumination worldwide. With a history of producing unique crystal chandeliers and pendants, wall lights and other lighting fixtures that spans nearly two centuries and five generations, the company is one of the oldest family-owned furniture manufacturers, well-known for its mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency lamps and other lighting designs.

In 1845-era Vienna, Elias Bakalowits opened a shop that established the family’s long tradition of lighting production. Creating lanterns, wall mirrors, candle holders and other lighting, the reputation of the firm spread throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1892, when Ludwig Bakalowits was running the company in its second generation, the firm was named Imperial and Royal Court Purveyor and received a lighting order for the Hofburg — Emperor Franz Joseph’s new imperial palace — and its historic ballroom, the Redoutensaal. 

Bakalowits & Söhne received the first patents on their chandeliers and other works in the mid-20th century. At the same time, the houses of Parliament, Burgtheater, Vienna City Hall, Vienna State Opera, and Stephansdom needed repairs owing to considerable damage that the structures sustained during the Second World War. Bakalowits & Söhne secured commissions to create fixtures for the partially destroyed, war-torn buildings.

The postwar years saw growth for the brand that extended into the Middle and the Far East. Collaborations with architects in these regions led to creating an immense chandelier, which resides in the parliament building in Belgrade, Serbia. With this growth and expansion came exhibitions at the turn of the century. Among these was the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, with additional exhibits in other cities, including London, Geneva, St. Petersburg and Turin.

Today, KR Prof. Friedl Bakalowits leads the company in its fifth generation. Bakalowits & Söhne continues to produce chandeliers for individual residences, including palaces, villas and companies worldwide. Their pieces illuminate cultural institutions, hotels, opera houses, conference centers and cruise ships.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of antique and vintage Bakalowits & Söhne lighting, mirrors and decorative objects.