In the heart of Sicily, in Caltanissetta, a family has turned a passion for vintage fashion, born during lockdown, into a project that is set to revolutionise the concept of vintage. Rosario, Miriam and Giovanni are a new force in fashion entrepreneurship, telling authentic stories through vintage clothing.
The smell of warm bread embraces that of almond biscuits, freshly baked. Among the streets of Caltanissetta, three children play. They run, they push each other; they grow like this, among the dripping streets. As they chase each other, sweaty arms glue themselves to the edges of their shirts; the sultry air rests on their faces, as the sun sets. They are on their way home, just before nightfall.
In these moments, they watch the large wardrobes open; it is here, in the whiteness of the house, where every corner holds family memories, that Rosario, Miriam and Giovanni have learned to read the stories written in the fabrics - from that college sweatshirt that their grandmother kept like a relic to the brooches and scarves.
For Rosario there is something deeply intimate in going through his mum and dad's wardrobe, in finding that T-shirt hidden behind the elegant clothes, in still smelling, between the folds, the smells of the past, which are those of the present. The love for the stories of clothes binds the Criscuoli’s in a precious family affair.
In this warm, precious and contradictory Sicily - where the smell of clothes hung out in the sun, impregnated with softener, accompanies the gaze towards the sun - Mercanzia was born.
The Criscuoli family's project is the exaltation of roots, which still know how to accompany modernity. Mercanzia is more than a brand; it is a story, an invitation to remember that the past hides many answers to the great questions of the present. Like the trends that come back and return.
It all began from a concrete need during the pandemic. Rosario, could you tell us how a moment of global crisis turned into your opportunity?
R: It all started on Vinted. I wanted to make some money during the pandemic years. We already had a great passion for fashion, handed down from generation to generation; only later, we wanted to dedicate ourselves to vintage. Through intense research and study, we realised that this was not just a passion for us - along with content creation: we saw, in Mercanzia, a great business idea. In Italy and in Europe, there was no one who imagined vintage like we did.
How would you describe Caltanissetta? How much did your territory influence the birth of Mercanzia?
M: Mercanzia was born in a provincial city, Caltanissetta, a city of 60,000 inhabitants with the pretence of being a metropolis, but which does not even have the characteristics of a small town – it’s a hybrid. The reality we live in the centre of Sicily has nothing to do with the “slow life” - as we are often told about southern Italy. We tell of our concrete days: we get up, we work, we spend most of our time in our archive. We also try to integrate the dimension of our university studies. It is a very simple narrative, which creates curiosity in people.
THE FAMILY ESSENCE OF THE BRAND
Mercanzia's expression is based on the concept of family as a creative nucleus. How do you manage to maintain a balance between personal and work spheres?
G: Actually, a balance between work and personal sphere does not exist yet, but I think it is like that for all those people who turn their passion into a job. For now, the two spheres completely match because we put all our energy and resources into this project. We see a lot of potential.
Miriam, what is your vision for the brand? How does telling the story of your reality contribute to telling your mission?
M: It's not just about putting clothes online every week, but about being able - through them - to tell stories that excite more people. The greatest thing Mercanzia has brought us is the knowledge of a much larger pool of people who share this idea of family with us and become part of our community. The boundless thing about vintage is that, unlike any other subculture, it is vertical. It takes the kid who wants to buy a vintage t-shirt and the man or woman, in their sixties, who wants to relive the moments of their youth. It is beautiful how we, as 21, 23, 24-year-olds, manage to meet different types of people - both in terms of characteristics and age.
VINTAGE AS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE
Giovanni, how did you see the universal language of fashion develop?
G: It became a universal language the moment people were not just passionate about the garment in the intrinsic sense, but about the story behind each piece. This language touches not only those who are passionate about the fashion world in the strict sense, but also those who are nostalgically touched by a garment because they wore it when they were younger. Comparison with our parents or people older than us is crucial because they are the first to reveal to us the importance that garment had in history.
Rosario, is there a heart garment that best represents this philosophy?
R: T-shirts are my garment of the heart because nothing more than a t-shirt can express a message: whether it's a passion for a band, a film or a comical phrase. You may not have the desire for the perfect pair of jeans, but if you are a film or video game fan, as soon as you find that t-shirt that represents your favourite film or video game, I am sure you will buy it.
VINTAGE AND FAST FASHION: THE QUESTION OF ACCESSIBILITY
We often talk about vintage in relation to sustainability. How accessible is it really compared to fast fashion?
R: You must make a fundamental distinction between vintage and second hand: the former indicates clothes that are at least 20-30 years old, the latter second-hand clothes. The vintage we offer must excite the person buying it. You don't buy from Mercanzia because you want to save money compared to something new, but because you want that garment for all its unique characteristics.
How do you make vintage an instrument of social change?
M: The fundamental point is that it is not geographical affiliation that defines the people we speak to. Unlike a brand that speaks to a narrow category, we have the possibility and the desire to speak to everyone: both those who are part of the fashion environment and those who live a very normal life like ours. That is our main ambition.
RESEARCH AND THE ARCHIVE
How do you manage your archives and what is the highest expression of vintage fashion in your opinion?
G: The management of our archive is constantly growing. The relationship we have with the people who buy from us is very important. There is never a shortage of advice or information about the garment that cannot be seen in the photos. It's a pleasant exchange, especially when you buy something with a history.
Is there a particular garment that represents your evolution?
M: A sweatshirt from an American college that our mum attended while studying in the States. Our grandmother kept it for 30 years before giving it to us to wear around the house. That was the beginning of it all: lots of our parents' T-shirts started arriving from there. We keep these pieces as relics — they're the most important items because of their history and that of our family.
FUTURE VISIONS
What are your strongest ambitions for Mercanzia?
R: There are many ambitions. The clearest is to make Mercanzia grow and become a reference point for vintage on a European level. We hope that Mercanzia will not remain just a vintage shop but will become a collector of many other projects that we are working on.
How can vintage overcome the concept of a “nostalgic object”?
R: One way to make vintage cool is to mix it with modern fashion pieces, bringing it up to date and getting away from that concept of “dusty” clothing. It was an honour to be able to present a Nike shoe last year through our history and pieces, making everything super contemporary.
Mercanzia represents a new generation of fashion entrepreneurs. Rosario, Miriam and Giovanni don’t sell clothes; they build bridges between generations by recounting the real Italy through garments that have made history. Their journey begins in a Sicilian province and reaches the whole world. They offer a lesson in authenticity that contemporary fashion should heed. The siblings talk about sustainability respectfully. They analyse the contemporary world by finding the right fashion to express a particular feeling. They care about people, and a huge community is taking shape.
Within the walls of that home, we discover the authentic value of vintage, where the voices of those who raised us still resound. It's not just fashion; it's memory that's worn, the warmth of a caress spanning the decades and the scent of home that you carry with you wherever you go. Perhaps this is the secret that these three creatives have transformed into a universal language, making every street in the world feel a little more familiar and like home.
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Teresa Borriello
Freelance journalist and editor based in Naples. I wrote about people, fashion, food, sustainability, and social justice - and other things. I write about what I care.
@teresaborriello