I. Magnin

I. Magnin & Company was a high fashion and specialty goods luxury department store that was founded in 1876 in San Francisco, California. In the course of the late 19th century, the chain was among the leading importers into the US of the latest fashions from Paris, helping to introduce Americans to French fashion and leading designers.

In the aftermath of World War II, I. Magnin department stores began to do the same for Italian fashion and designers. In 1951, the chain sent its own representative to Italy to attend the fashion show organized by Giovanni Battista Giorgini at Villa Torrigiani in Florence. Over the following years, the department store, in collaboration with ICE and the Italian trade offices in San Francisco, organized numerous events and promotional sales dedicated to Italian fashion, designers and garments. It also continued to send its own representatives and buyers to major Italian fashion shows and presentations, substantially contributing to the popularization and success of Made in Italy and Italian style across the US.

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