x Skye McAlpine Tavola
A garden of fabrics and colours perfumes the air when Maddalena Maria Maggia talks about her project, Manìn Tailor Made.
Her creativity and elegance lie in her DNA, inherited from her family, together with her love for botany and the world of childhood. Discover with us how creativity can spark in the most unexpected moments of your life.
Antonella Dellepiane Pescetto : How did Manìn come about?
Maddalena Maria Maggia : Manìn has, without a doubt, always been a part of me. In fact, Manìn is me. It is the nickname I was given even before I was born. During her pregnancy, my mother was reading a book about the women of the House of Savoy and found a Maddalena, in Piedmontese “Madlenin”, affectionately called Manìn. I have always been deeply creative, but I had never found the right channel for it until the arrival of my first child, Achille. With him, something simply burst open inside me. I bought my first pink Singer sewing machine on Amazon and, between one feed and the next, I taught myself to sew through YouTube tutorials. And somehow, almost ten years have passed since then.
A.D.P : What did you study and explore before Manin?
M.M.M : I graduated in Languages. Travelling has always been a great passion in my family, travelling in the sense of immersing myself completely in something I do not yet know. I started working when I was very young and at 24 I became a mother. It was a choice I am extremely proud of. My children, together with gardens, are my greatest source of inspiration.
A.D.P : You often talk about a parallel between fashion and the world of flowers/gardens that was passed on to you by your family, right? How do you find them interconnected?
M.M.M : Gardens and botany are another great family passion. My mother has a collection of English roses, and many others, that could rival the RHS. My father, who began Manìn with me, was an extraordinary garden designer. Deeply connected to nature, he could transform any space with four gestures that were simple, essential and brilliantly intuitive. I grew up listening to incredible stories of plants that change their fragrance at night, their colour in daylight, that seem to die only to return more vigorous than before. For me, Manìn is what a garden was for him. I feel the fabrics, the shapes, the colours, the desires of people, and I do everything I can to orchestrate them in a way that makes them happy.
A.D.P : What visual imagery did you draw on?
M.M.M : My visual world comes from the environment I grew up in and from my passions. I have always been fascinated by the design of winter gardens, by art, especially watercolour, and by architecture. I am naturally drawn to wunderkammern and cabinets de curiosités. And then there are the historic cafés of Turin, with their quiet and unmistakable elegance. I recognise that same spirit deeply in Manìn.
A.D.P : Tell us about your creative process. How do you arrive at a finished pyjama design?
M.M.M : My creative process is wonderfully fast. Sometimes I think, search and make. Sometimes I find, think and make. And sometimes I simply make, without thinking too much. I am still in a very explosive phase. My bedside table is full of notebooks written in the middle of the night and my pockets and bags are always filled with little objects that inspire me.
A.D.P : How important is research to you?
M.M.M : Research is essential, but I believe it arises from something even more sublime: curiosity. If you research with a specific purpose, the result can remain limited. If you are curious, your entire perspective shifts, and that changes everything.
A.D.P : Why did you choose pyjamas as the iconic garment for Manin?
M.M.M :The pyjama was not really a choice. When I decided to begin Manìn, I did not even know that would be its name yet, and I was already working on the pyjama. I wanted something that could elevate comfort, something suited to everyone’s everyday life. I started Manìn entirely on my own and built the whole supply chain from scratch. The Manìn pyjama is wonderfully versatile and vertical. It works for every category, from babies to men.
Today new pieces have joined the collection, always conceived for those who love true luxury: relaxation, an unhurried breakfast, the pleasure of being effortlessly chic. Manìn garments are now produced by companies that manufacture for global high fashion and that bring together Italian excellence at every stage, from the hatmakers to the embroiderers to the ribbon makers. I am deeply proud of this.
A.D.P : What kind of fabrics do you particularly love? If you had to suggest one of your suits for parties, what pattern would you choose?
M.M.M : Fabrics and raw materials are the very soul of Manìn. When I began, I spent months travelling between the most important Italian mills. Everyone told me “You are crazy to use such fine fabrics for pyjamas”, but to me that is exactly the point. Manìn is excellence first and foremost. As for choosing a pattern for a party, it truly depends on the occasion. Manìn offers a wonderfully rich variety.
A.D.P : On your website, you talk about Orlando by Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West. Can you tell us how these women and this novel intersected with your adventure?
M.M.M : Vita Sackville-West, a writer, a visionary and the muse behind Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, has always spoken to me on a very deep level. I was raised in a world steeped in artistry, where beauty and culture felt like a birthright. And yet, like her, I learned that true identity is not something we inherit but something we create for ourselves.
Orlando is, at its heart, a tale of transformation. It is the journey of a soul moving through different worlds, constantly evolving and always drawn to beauty in its purest form. I know that journey well. I have travelled, observed, reimagined, and in doing so I have shaped Manìn into something entirely my own.
A.D.P : In your manifesto, you say : “We are not here for everyone”. Can you expand on this thought?
M.M.M : Manìn is not for everyone. This is not meant as exclusion. On the contrary, it is an invitation to culture. Just like appreciating art, architecture, a beautifully cooked dish or anything crafted with intention and excellence.
A.D.P : Are there other types of garments you would like to make in the future, besides pyjamas?
M.M.M : There are absolutely other garments I would like to create, and some of them already exist. A shirt with theatrical sleeves, a gardener’s vest, a nightdress inspired by Wendy from Peter Pan which is really a dress, and a tailored trouser. Always garden attire, always rooted in the idea that Manìn is made of childhood.
A.D.P : If you had to tell me which word comes to mind, without thinking, to associate with the concept of Beauty, what would you say?
M.M.M : Substance.
A.D.P : Can you tell us about your latest collaboration with Skye Mc Alpine? How it started and how you developed it together?
M.M.M : I have always loved the quintessentially British spirit. They never overstate things. They find beauty in simplicity, from bay windows designed to capture whatever light there is, to the poetry of fly-fishing lures. Their way of hosting is also very different from ours. It is more curated, yet incredibly warm and attentive. Skye is the absolute queen of hosting and, with Tavola, she has created a world that feels truly like a wonderland.
Together we designed the perfect piece for hosting and for celebrating the holiday season with coolness and festive attire.
We chose a red double-twisted cotton stripe and paired it with a small pink windowpane check that feels wonderfully British. Skye wanted a bow. I wanted a bow with substance, something crafted with meaning and care. So I had it made by an important Piedmontese hatmaker. Every bow is cut by hand, assembled by hand and sewn by hand, exactly like their finest hats. No machine can ever rival that kind of savoir-faire.
Discover the collection at skyemcalpinetavola.com and in person at the Tavola Christmas Shop in London, from 21st November to 21st December.
Explore Manìn world at https://manintailormade.com/
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