Just off the glamorous shopping strip of via de′ Tornabuoni, via della Spada is fast becoming a go-to for creative fashion and design lovers. For devotees of clothing, jewellery or art, there are intriguing and inviting stores to explore, with MIO Concept Store leading the charge.
A love of design and a passion to champion independent talent lead Antje d′Almeida to open MIO Concept Store in 2011. Globetrotter Antje left her native Germany over 25 years ago and has since lived in New York, Paris, Provence, Miami and now Florence.
With a background in high fashion (she worked for Gucci and YSL in Paris and Milan), she believes you can have luxury with a social conscious hence MIO′s slogan “Design inspired by the elegance of awareness”. Many products offer environmental sustainability and design elegance in one.
MIO Concept Store is an extensive collection of innovative designs
Many designs are eco-led with street art, homewares, jewellery, and curiosities for the creatively minded filling shlvees. Some items use new materials, others are made with recycled objects or are up-cycled. There is lots to explore and something to suit everyone’s design tastes.
MIO’s collections are sourced from buying trips within Italy as well as to the USA, Germany, Brazil, Netherlands, England, Belgium and Switzerland. Antje′s passion to share her discoveries with clients is what makes the store a success, with collaborations being key.
One of Antje′s proudest partnerships is with Florence-based, French-born street artist, Clet. His work is hard to miss while exploring Florence’s streets. Clet is famous for cheekily tweaking existing street signs and turning them into art. A t-junction sign becomes a crucifix, a dead-end sign a face. MIO uniquely lets you purchase original pieces by Clet, and Antje has a number of new collaborations in the works by rising Florentine artists she is eager to support.
