Isaia

Not to be confused with Isaiah.
For people with the name Isaia, see Isaia (name).
Red coral inspired the Isaia lapel pin

Isaia is an Italian menswear brand founded in Naples in 1920.[1] The brand is recognized by its tiny red coral logo,[2] which is a good-luck charm in Naples.[3] It has monobrand stores in Naples, Baku, Beverly Hills, Capri, Ekaterinburg, Hong Kong, Kiev, Macao, Milan, Moscow, New York City, St. Petersburg, and Tokyo.[4] Its brother brand is Eidos, launched in 2013 by ISAIA Napoli Creative Director Antonio K. Ciongoli.[5]

History

Isaia was founded in Naples by Enrico Isaia, who opened a fabric store for Neapolitan tailors, and later a small atelier next to the store. In 1957 the brothers Enrico, Rosraio and Corrado Isaia moved the business to Casalnuovo, a village near Napoli where tailoring was a large part of the economy, and Isaia became a men's tailoring company.[6]

Coral legend

Perseus saving Andromeda while Medusa's severed head bleeds into the sea
In Naples, it's believed that red coral sprang from mythical origins. As the legend goes, the Greek hero Perseus killed the Gorgon Medusa and wanted to deliver her head as a wedding present to the King of Seriphos, who was about to wed his mother. On his way home, he saw the beautiful Andromeda chained to a rock and about to be eaten by a sea monster. Wanting to save her life, he killed the beast and then sat on the bank of the water to wash his hands. When he set the sack with Medusa’s head besides him, her blood dripped into the water and transformed into what we know as red coral. For this, Neapolitans consider red coral a sign of good luck, and they use it in everything from pendants to religious ornaments to jewelry.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ About Isaia
  2. ↑ CC Reagan, Being Neapolitan | A Lesson in Language & Style at Isaia July 3, 2012, accessed 5/5/2015
  3. ↑ esquire.com The Extra Ten Percent: The Preloaded Lapel Pin March 2011, accessed 5/5/2015
  4. ↑ showrooms accessed 10/8/2015
  5. ↑ eidosnapoli.com eidosnapoli: Who We Are accessed 11/4/2015
  6. ↑ isaia.it About Isaia Napoli accessed 11/4/2015
  7. ↑ Red Coral in Naples


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