155. Carolina Castiglioni | Live at Capitol

Summary

Podcast Summary: What We Wore – Episode 155: Carolina Castiglioni | Live at Capitol

Release Date: April 15, 2025

Host: Laura Vinroot Poole

In Episode 155 of What We Wore, host Laura Vinroot Poole engages in an intimate and comprehensive conversation with Carolina Castiglioni, a notable figure in the fashion industry. This episode delves into Carolina’s rich family heritage in fashion, her personal journey within the family business, the challenges of launching her own brand, and the delicate balance between professional and personal life.

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1. Guest Introduction and Background

Laura begins the episode by warmly welcoming Carolina Castiglioni, highlighting her first visit to North Carolina and complimenting her on her beautiful shop.

Quote:

"Thank you all so much for being here this morning... Carolina, we've loved having you."
— Laura Vinroot Poole [00:00]

Carolina introduces herself, sharing her Milanese roots and her multicultural heritage.

Quote:

"I’m from Milano actually... I’m really Milanese."
— Carolina Castiglioni [01:01]

She paints a vivid picture of Milan as a blend of familiarity and international flair, especially vibrant during fashion weeks and art events.

Quote:

"It’s a really nice place... full of art exhibitions and events, concerts."
— Carolina Castiglioni [01:18]

2. Family Legacy in Fashion

The conversation shifts to Carolina’s deep-seated family history in the fashion industry. Carolina recounts her great-grandmother Maria Motta’s establishment of an atelier specializing in made-to-measure fur for Milanese ladies.

Quote:

"My great grandmother had an atelier... Pelliceria Fur."
— Carolina Castiglioni [03:00]

She details how her grandfather expanded the family business by launching Chibi Furs, producing for prestigious brands like Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Valentino, and more.

Quote:

"They were producing for really everybody from Louis Vuitton, Valentino... and everyone."
— Carolina Castiglioni [03:43]

3. Growing Up in the Family Business

Carolina reminisces about her childhood experiences within the bustling family business. She describes visiting the Chibi Furs office after school, assisting with tasks, and feeling like a mascot draped in fur.

Quote:

"I was helping a lot, like closing envelopes and putting like stamps."
— Carolina Castiglioni [03:58]

Her brother Johnny Giovanni, six years her junior, also joined the business, fostering a close-knit family dynamic.

4. Educational Journey and Joining Marnie

Despite her upbringing in fashion, Carolina pursued artistic endeavors, attending an artistic high school with aspirations in set design for theater and cinema. However, her path took a decisive turn when she enrolled in the fashion business program at Marangoni Milano and chose to join Marnie, the family brand.

Quote:

"I decided to skip the set designer and start the fashion business."
— Carolina Castiglioni [07:55]

She shares that her decision was clear after a year in London interning at Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and honing her English skills.

5. Career Progression at Marnie

At Marnie, Carolina’s career blossomed as she took on various roles, starting in the commercial department focusing on Middle and Far East markets. Her experiences included traveling extensively, understanding diverse cultures, and tailoring products to specific customer preferences.

Quote:

"I was traveling a lot and discovering all the different cultures."
— Carolina Castiglioni [09:21]

Transitioning to retail, she served as a buyer for accessories in Europe, adapting collections to suit distinct markets like Paris, London, and Charlotte.

Quote:

"Buying for Paris was completely different from the buying from London."
— Carolina Castiglioni [10:35]

In 2006, Carolina spearheaded Marnie’s eCommerce launch with Yuke’s, pioneering online sales of clothing beyond accessories.

Quote:

"We were the first one with Yuke's launching an E Commerce selling the clothes."
— Carolina Castiglioni [11:13]

6. Lessons Learned and Influences

Carolina emphasizes the importance of maintaining a strong brand identity and following one’s instincts, lessons deeply influenced by her mother’s avant-garde approach to design.

Quote:

"Identity is something really important and you have to follow your thought."
— Carolina Castiglioni [11:53]

She recalls her father’s advice: “use your brain” and “don’t care about people’s critics,” underscoring the balance between intellect and resilience in the fashion industry.

Quote:

"The first one was use your brain. And the second one was don't care about people. Critics."
— Carolina Castiglioni [13:44]

7. Transitioning and Launching Plan C

In 2016, Carolina and her family made the difficult decision to sell the family business, a process fraught with emotional challenges, especially for her mother who had been deeply involved in multiple collections and shops.

Quote:

"We sold in 2013 and then in 2016, hundred percent."
— Carolina Castiglioni [15:09]

Eighteen months after selling the business, Carolina launched her own venture, Plan C, aiming for a more balanced and personal approach to fashion.

Quote:

"Our idea is to start again in our way, a small family business and grow little by little."
— Carolina Castiglioni [16:20]

8. Challenges in the Fashion Industry

Carolina openly discusses the myriad challenges faced by small fashion businesses, particularly in the wake of global events like COVID-19 and the persistent fashion crisis. She highlights issues related to rising raw material costs and the difficulty of competing with larger brands that receive priority from suppliers.

Quote:

"The pricing will grow a lot, and we cannot put the growth of the raising on the products."
— Carolina Castiglioni [19:58]

Maintaining quality and sourcing unique fabrics remains paramount, emphasizing her commitment to Italian craftsmanship.

Quote:

"Everything is made in Italy... quality is super important for me."
— Carolina Castiglioni [20:33]

9. Balancing Business and Family Life

Navigating the demands of running a fashion brand while raising two children presents its own set of challenges. Carolina shares her routine of morning drives to school, engaging conversations with her children, and ensuring quality family time during weekends.

Quote:

"We talk a lot and they ask a lot about my work... every weekend we are together."
— Carolina Castiglioni [25:15]

Her children, currently more interested in sports than fashion, attend an American school in Milan, allowing Carolina to blend her personal and professional lives seamlessly.

10. Personal Insights and Future Aspirations

Reflecting on her brand, Carolina expresses a desire for Plan C to resonate as timeless and versatile, creating pieces that remain beloved beyond seasonal trends.

Quote:

"If you buy one piece from Plan C, I think you will love for next year because it's not seasonal."
— Carolina Castiglioni [12:28]

She also shares the inspiration behind Plan C’s name, symbolizing both her initials and a “third plan” following the legacy of Chibi Furs and Marnie.

Quote:

"Plan C stands for Carolina and Castiglione... and it's a third plan after A and B."
— Carolina Castiglioni [26:25]

Carolina highlights her favorite creation, the Pilian Bianca bag, a collaboration infused with her daughter’s artwork, exemplifying the blend of personal and professional creativity.

Quote:

"It's a bag that we have since the beginning... designed by my daughter."
— Carolina Castiglioni [26:47]

11. Closing Thoughts

In wrapping up, Carolina emphasizes her commitment to creating everyday wearable art that stands out yet remains comfortable and accessible, carving her own niche distinct from her family's illustrious legacy.

Quote:

"I create like pieces that are really for every day and you can buy special where you feel really different and special but very easy to wear every day."
— Carolina Castiglioni [31:02]

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Carolina Castiglioni’s journey from a family legacy in fur to establishing her own innovative brand, Plan C, offers invaluable insights into the resilience and creativity required in the ever-evolving fashion industry. Her dedication to quality, personal expression, and maintaining a harmonious balance between work and family life serves as an inspiring narrative for aspiring fashion entrepreneurs.

For more information on Capitol, Laura Vinroot Poole, and future What We Wore guests, follow @shopcapitol and @whatweworepodcast on Instagram.

Transcript

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Foreign. I'm Laura Vinroot Poole and this is what we wore. All right, thank you all so much for being here this morning. I know you've had a really, really busy week. We had a beautiful event last night. It's so nice to see people with Plan C. And Carolina, we've loved having you.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Thank you, thank you. I'm really happy to be here with you. First.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

First time in North Carolina.

[Carolina Castiglione]

First time, yes. And you have a beautiful shop.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Thank you. Her impressions are. It's cold. Yeah. Well, we really loved having you. Thank you. She's at the. They're at the Duke mansion, which I think they've enjoyed a lot. Other than being cold in the garden.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's very nice.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And we have the Italians here to support if. Carolina, in case I speak too quickly and my English is not understood. Carolina, tell the group where you're from.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yes, I'm from Milano actually. To tell you the truth. I'm half Swiss and half Italian because my mother comes from Lugano, Switzerland. But I'm Italian. I'm really Milanese.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

You grew up in the city? Were you all in the city?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah. I really love Milan. It's a really nice place. It's a small town in a way, you know everybody. And it's also at the same time very international. There are some moments in the year that it's full of people, especially during fashion weeks and during Salone that is now. And it's very. An interesting place, full of art exhibitions and events, concerts. It's.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And Americans don't understand, I think very well. You know, I mean, I think it doesn't look like Rome or Florence.

[Carolina Castiglione]

And so I think Americans have a.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Hard time understanding a little bit.

[Carolina Castiglione]

That's true. Because when you arrive and you go around, it's not so nice from outside in a way I think because there's.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

So many courtyards but that you're not invited in.

[Carolina Castiglione]

But inside the buildings are so, so beautiful and with much of history and, and design. Yeah, it's very nice.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Speaking of, I think you grew up in fashion many, many generations and thinking of architecture, your family's incredible building. That was your great grandparents atelier.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The history of my family in business, it started many years ago. Yeah. So my great grandmother had an atelier. She was doing made to measure fur for the Milanese ladies. And in the place where we are now with Plan C. And then she was Maria Motta and so she was. I mean the brand was not the brand, but it's Pelliceria Motta Peliceria Fur. And then my grandfather decided to move on and launch Chibi Furs. And he was producing first for all the big brands, starting from Fendi. They were doing like production and distribution. And then they was producing for really everybody from Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Prada, Gil Sander, Giambattista Valli, really Marni, of course, later, and everyone.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And were they always full family businesses? Like when your grandmother was doing, had the atelier, was your grandfather also supporting? Was he working in the business as well?

[Carolina Castiglione]

No, no, no, no. It was two separate things.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

What do you remember about their business growing up, your grandparents?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, I mean, I remember also my grandfather. I mean, I remember a lot of Chibi fours, because when I was young, I was going to the office every afternoon after school and just wandering there, and it was like a microcosm because my parents were there, my grandfather, my uncle, aunt, and then all the people working there. I was like a mascot because I was every day draped gin fur. Yeah, no, I mean, I was helping a lot, like closing envelopes and putting like stamps, doing those kind of things, and was really. It was really fun for me to be there with them, I'm sure. Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And your brother too?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Johnny Giovanni, my brother, but he's six years younger, so.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

So you were the first mascot. Yeah. And then your parents both worked in Chiwi and what was the impetus?

[Carolina Castiglione]

No, my father. Yeah, he started really early working at Chibi with his two brother and one sister. But then. And my mother at that time, she was like, doing clothes for her friends. And then they decided to start a new brand, starting from fur.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And they, your mother and your father?

[Carolina Castiglione]

My mother and my father, yes.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And you were 10 years old and this was. This became. This was Marnie.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yes, yes, yes, of course, my aunt and uncle were in. In the business too, but I mean, my mother was the creative director and.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And tell me about that. What was that like?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, I mean, she was really avant garde because at that time furs were like classic brown mink with big shoulder. And then. And she decided to use fur as fabric. And so she created like anorak with the hood unlined. Very, very modern and avant garde for that time. And then I remember one of the first shows because they were just doing furs and not clothes and shoes. And so they had to choose shoes for the fashion show. And so they choose to use Reebok. They did a collaboration with Reebok and at the beginning of the show, all the lights were off and you just saw the white Reebok. It was very special. And at that time, using showing furs with sneakers was really avant garde. Really avant garde, yes.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

So many people work in the fashion industry in Milan, but do you remember realizing that Marnie was actually kind of a big deal?

[Carolina Castiglione]

I mean, just doing fashion shows. I was always in the backstage and everybody after the show were coming to my mother and they were all crying. And I remember, like a really special moment. But then in daily life, no. Was really normal for me. Nothing special.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And so did you study fashion in school? How did you become a part of Marnie? Because you worked there for 13 years.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yes, yes, yes. I mean, I did artistic high school, and so I was more for set designer, cine graphic for theater, for cinema. But then I did fashion business at Marangoni Milano and I decided to join Marnie.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Was it a hard decision? I mean, were you nervous about it?

[Carolina Castiglione]

No. I mean, I spent one year in London thinking what to do, and I was working. I was doing, like, internship at Vogue and Harper and Bazaar and was studying English. And then I decided to skip the set designer and start the fashion business. I was more into business at that time. And then was really normal to start at Marnie. And did you.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Was it a conversation? I mean, do you remember sitting down with your parents and saying, this is something I want to do. I want to work in the family business?

[Carolina Castiglione]

I remember when I decided to start Marangoni, it was like July and I had to decide what to do in September. And when I decided to start fashion business, it was really clear to me that then, I mean, it was the way was this one. Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

How did you work through the company because you started doing something.

[Carolina Castiglione]

I did many things. Yeah. I started in the commercial department and I was following the Middle east and Far east markets.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Interesting.

[Carolina Castiglione]

And was really a really nice experience. I was traveling a lot and discovering all the different cultures and really approaching people and customers in a different way. Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And bringing your information back to the team and saying, hey, in Dubai, you have to have, you know, the dresses. Have to have this.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. Yeah, of course.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And then you moved to retail?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Then I moved to retail. I was doing. I was a buyer for accessories for Mono brand for our shops in the. In Europe. And was another really nice experience because the collection was really, really wide. And so we had the opportunity to put products thinking of the customer of that shop. So the buying for Paris was completely different from the buying from London and.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

For Charlotte, as we talked yesterday.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yes, that's true.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

It is.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Everybody in the world is completely different and have different habits. And so you have to think about the customer.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

I think we had such an interesting experience yesterday with Carolina. We had a bride looking for rehearsal dinner and I think it was so interesting to see what she was choosing and what her reasoning was for not liking this and liking this better. And we were all watching it like it was like a science experiment, really, because it is very different from what the conversation would be in Milan or Dubai.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, that's true. Yeah, really interesting.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And then from retail went on into the creative part, correct?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Then after retail, we launched the e Commerce in 2006. Was a great experience because we were the first one with Yuke's launching an E Commerce selling the clothes because everybody was selling just accessories. And so we had to think how to shoot, how to present the measurements, and everything was to inventing something. And that's fascinating. Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

I mean, you were really at the advent of that, the very beginning.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

What do you think the most important things that you learned at Marnie were?

[Carolina Castiglione]

I think the identity is something really important and you have to follow your thought. And to. To be my mother is very instinctive. And. And so she was working like this, not listening too much. What the critics or. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

For example, she always was like in her own world, you know.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, that's true.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

We were saying that yesterday that your. The pieces you have for Marnie, like, they look like they could be from next year. They're 20 years old, you know.

[Carolina Castiglione]

That's true, that's true.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And I think Plan C as well.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah. My idea is to have a wardrobe in constant evolution because. And when I design one piece, I think if you buy one piece from Plan C, I think you will love for next year because it's not seasonal. I mean, it's not. I don't follow the trends, I just follow what I like. And the collection is very personal.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

I always tell this story about Albert Elbaz at Lamvan. We saw him do a presentation to the team in 20 years ago, I guess 15 years ago, and he was saying to the whole. His whole commercial team, everything I design is meant to go with everything I have ever designed. That's the whole point. And the team, you know, you could see the commercial team being like, no, we want to sell more. But that is a revelation.

[Carolina Castiglione]

What I think.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Yeah, everything should go back to everything. Because if it is truly your aesthetic, it is truly you, then it is always going to be you.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Even though you Continue to change and have new solutions for things.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. For example, this is a jacket from a past season and. Yeah, yeah, I love that. Yeah, yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

What did you learn from your father specifically?

[Carolina Castiglione]

My father, when I was young, was constantly repeat. There was two rules to follow. The first one was use your brain. And the second one was don't care about people. Critics. Yeah. And so was really, to me, it was like, okay, I know, I understand. I understood. But now I can understand that. It's. Yeah, it's nice.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And your mother specifically, did she tell you anything when you were starting your business? Any advice?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yes, of course. Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Anything that you remember specifically?

[Carolina Castiglione]

No. I mean, the nicest thing is that she is our best clients. I mean, she. Her personal order is like a shop.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Order and I'm sure to watch her wear it is interesting too, because it's different than the way probably you would put together as well.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

You sold the family business in 2016. 2016. And what was that process like? Was it hard? Difficult?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah. Was hard painful? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

You first sold off 70% of it or something and then you sold the rest of the entire thing?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, we sold in 2013 and one part and then two. 2016. Hundred percent. Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Did the family talk about how hard it was? Did you have conversations about how emotional it was?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, we've been talking a lot of this, but was really too much.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Yeah.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Especially for my mother. Yes. Too many collections. Too many shops. We had like hundred shops and she was doing like six collection. I mean, it was pre fall. I mean, pre, pre fall. Pre prefold and then men's and then kids and then really, really too much.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Yeah. Do you remember her ever regretting it or saying your. Your father, your mother saying they regretted selling it?

[Carolina Castiglione]

No. I mean, when you decide one thing, then you go, then you go on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And so how long after that was it that you started your own business?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Started Plan C. Yeah, I mean, after we sold, I had like, we had 18 months of thinking.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And were you missing it? I mean, did you.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yes, because I was doing a really fun job following all the special projects around the world. I've been doing really nice projects. And in Milan, the flower market, and then in Hong Kong, in Tokyo, and then we. For the 20th anniversary and we did in Venice for the Biennale. So was really fun. Our idea is to start again in our way, a small family business and grow little by little and share work and life and have more of a.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Balance than 100 shops.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yes.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Yeah. So what does Success look like for you, for plan C, what would make it feel like it were successful?

[Carolina Castiglione]

It has been really a tough period because when we started was really booming at the beginning was really. We sold a lot. But then after one year, we. There was like, Covid. And then the worst. And then the fashion crisis, and everything is now.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And I think fashion's like. I think the world is like that, but I think fashion is like that. You just sort of keep getting knocked down, and you have to be like, I'm gonna get up.

[Carolina Castiglione]

I'm gonna do this tomorrow. Yeah. Yeah. But we are a family business, and we work for the future, and so we invest a lot and we trust on our view, and we don't want to move following the flow, but just go straight for our way. And I mean, we.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And yet your father is working in the business and your brother.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And what part of the business are they in and how are they supportive of you?

[Carolina Castiglione]

My father is the CEO, and my brother follow all the operations.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Is he tough on you, your father?

[Carolina Castiglione]

No. I mean. No, no, no, no. We really work well together. And, yeah, we have been always working like this. And so my father. Yeah. Is more on top of everything.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

What are you most proud of of your family's legacy in the fashion business? So it's a long lineage of contributing beauty to the world.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah. No, I mean, yeah. Proud that they built, like, an empire from zero. Because, I mean, it was not zero, of course, because they had Chibi Force on helping and all the people working at Chibi Force helping, but they really create an empire. My mother has been compared to Miuccia Prada and Tureka Vakubo.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

So how has she been helpful other than being your best client?

[Carolina Castiglione]

I mean, just giving her point of view and always saying, do what you want and be very. Work with instinct. And. Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And do you tell her sometimes this is hard. How did you do this?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, it's. Yeah, it's very hard.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

It's very hard.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

What do you think the hardest parts.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Of fashion are now in this moment? What is very hard, especially with the worst, is that the pricing. Because the raw material grow a lot. The pricing will grow a lot, and we cannot put the growth of the raising. Yeah. On the. On the products.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Right. So because you're talking things like buttons are more expensive, zippers are more expensive.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Everything.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Fabrics.

[Carolina Castiglione]

More expensive fabrics. Especially fabrics. Every season is more expensive. And because we want. Because I'm really. I do a lot of research on fabrics, and I always want new fabrics with new hands. And different things. And, and the quality, it's super important for me.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Everything's made in Italy.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, everything is made in Italy. And, and so when, when the, the, the supplier gives you the, the prices and you say, okay, expense, very expensive. And, but I mean, and especially expensive.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

When you're small and starting out because your volume is smaller. It's not like Marty coming in and saying, we have 100 stores, of course.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

There's a lot of work in that.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah. Less, you buy more, the price is higher.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And, and not only that production, that somebody gets bumped in ahead of you if, if they have more production. Right. Like, you know, Gucci would be ahead of you for cotton shirts because they are producing 100 times the amount of them.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

I mean, it's a really complicated industry.

[Carolina Castiglione]

And many, many companies came back to Italy to produce with the worst. And so, and so some of our supplier said, I'm sorry, we have to produce for them first because they, they, they produce a lot. So it's very, very tough.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Giovanni does production or. No, he does. And do you have some, some people that used to work at Marnie that work with you now?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, yeah, many people.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

We have one question that we ask everybody on the podcast, and I don't think that you have proms in, In Italy, but do you have proms? Do you know what a prom is?

[Carolina Castiglione]

No, what is proms?

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

We need the Italian ladies.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, Yeah. I never do this. No, we. No, we don't do it.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Is it a graduation party or some big. Do you have a big. No, English girls have this big graduation party, the marquee party that they say? No, no, no, Nothing.

[Carolina Castiglione]

No.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Do you have a favorite. A favorite dress growing up, your favorite dress in high school that you had or favorite outfit or your wedding dress?

[Carolina Castiglione]

The wedding dress, yes. Okay, tell us about that.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Yeah, we need to hear about that.

[Carolina Castiglione]

We married now I'm divorced, but. Okay. We married up to the mountains in Switzerland and was January, so a lot of fur, A lot of. Yeah, no, I didn't have this fur. A lot of snow.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Yeah.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Very cold, but very nice. I decided to because I was afraid about rain. And so I said, okay, let's marry with the snow is more magical. And I had a beautiful white skirt, very straight, and then a cape.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

What kind of. What fabric?

[Carolina Castiglione]

A beautiful wool. Oh, beautiful pressed wool. Very nice. And then skirt straight. A line, but very straight.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Okay.

[Carolina Castiglione]

And then white.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

White or an ivory.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Ivory, yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Okay.

[Carolina Castiglione]

And then the top and then a cape. A cape with A hood and.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Oh, my gosh, Carolina, I love. Okay. Hood. I know. Wow.

[Carolina Castiglione]

And. And then a hat, a fur hat.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Oh, yes, yes, yes.

[Carolina Castiglione]

White. All white.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Oh, I love.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And jewels.

[Carolina Castiglione]

No, I don't know. Shoes. Yes. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Sandals, but like a wedge sandal, all white, same fabric as the skirt.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

How beautiful. And when you walked in the church, did everybody go?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Oh, yeah, it was. Yeah, it was a little bit. Yeah, yeah. And I was with, of course, with my father and my son.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Oh, I love.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah. And my son was wearing my father coat. So he was 2.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Yeah.

[Carolina Castiglione]

And he was wearing his grandfather coat.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Amazing.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Wow.

[Carolina Castiglione]

So it was very nice.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

You have two children.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

And what's it been like? How do you navigate that? Running a business and being a creative director and having two children the way your mother did.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, I mean, it's complicated, but I wake up with them. I drive there to school. They go to the American school in Milan. Yeah. And it's a bit far, so it takes half an hour to go there, but it's very nice because we study, we chat, we sing, we do many things in this.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

They tell you a lot in the car. I think they tell you more in the car than they do in the car a lot.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yes, more in the morning, that in the evening at dinner.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

So true. And did they come to the atelier after school like you did?

[Carolina Castiglione]

No, no, no, no, no, they do. They have a really busy day with sports and everything. Yeah, yeah.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Well, thank you so much. I know we have questions if you're open to answering questions.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yeah, of course.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

They're going to be asked in Italian.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Okay.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Can you share the inspiration behind the name Plan C?

[Carolina Castiglione]

Yes, of course. Plan C stands for Carolina and Castiglione. And also it's a third plan after A and B. So A was Chibi Force, B, Marni, and of course C. Plan C. It's beautiful.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

I love it.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Thank you.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

What is your favorite piece that you have designed?

[Carolina Castiglione]

I mean, there's not one favorite piece. Maybe the Pilian Bianca bag. It's a bag that we have since the beginning. It's a lacquered canvas bag. We have white and black. And what is nice that has two prints on it, Pili and Bianca. It's two drawings that my daughter designed when she was three and now she's 11. There are two characters, two portraits that she designed was Bianca is her friend and Pili her brother Filippo. And so it's a piece that always is in our collection and we. We sell a lot And I'm really proud of. Yeah. What's something you learned about yourself becoming a mom came really naturally and. But I. I mean, yeah, I always try to balance the time with them and what is nice is that we talk a lot and they ask a lot about my work. We eat all together every night, every evening. And I ask them everything's good, that's. And they asked me what have you done today? And they are asking many question on my daily work and also in this trip because it's two weeks that we are around. We've been to Japan first and then to New York and then we came here and every day they asking what are you doing today and how you felt and what's going on? And we talk a lot and this is. I think it's nice. Every weekend we are together and we spend a lot of time together and doing things and we always go up to the mountains to ski every weekend. It's one nice thing living in Milan is that we are really next to the mountain and next to the sea and so it's nice to spend time during weekends with them.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Growing up in a generational. In a family business and now, you know, being such a part of it. Do you have. In having that balance is business and being such a creative. Is it kind of a constant or do you try to. Is there any way that you kind of ever try to turn it off?

[Carolina Castiglione]

I mean. I mean. No, I'm able to switch off. Yes, yes. I mean it's a constant working and thinking even because in a creative work I took a lot of inspiration of my daily life. And so it's always the. There's one part of my mind open to think but because I do a lot of picture. My passion. One of my passion is doing picture and. And then I use in my work and Photography. Yeah, photography and I. And then I transformed into like. Yeah, yeah. Photo images. And then sometimes it's just modifying with computer. Sometimes in the last collection I just painting painted on it. So my mind is always open to new things and new ideas. But I'm also able to switch off and have fun with.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Have either of your children shown interest in the fashion industry or are they kind of doing their own thing and paving their own way?

[Carolina Castiglione]

No, they're not much interested in fashion. Yeah, yeah. More sports. And now they're interested about my work, but not about fashion. Defining yourself apart from your mother's brand, what would you want people to remember about you? Because the avant garde. There's so much to remember about your mom what is your signature that you want people to think of when they think of your brand? That I create like pieces that are really for every day and you can but special where you feel really different and special but very easy to wear every day.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

Thank you Carolina so much.

[Carolina Castiglione]

Thank you.

[Laura Vinroot Poole]

First podcast what We Wore is produced by Capitol and Balto Creative Media. The original song Someone so Enchanting was composed and performed by Brit Drazda. Please follow us on Instagram hatwewearpodcast for additional content and show updates. Queencitypodcastnetwork.com.