Pasticceria Cucchi is the kind of place Milan does better than anywhere else. A historic pastry shop and café on Via Moscova 18, open since 1936, where locals stop for a standing espresso at the marble counter in the morning, pick up a cornetto at noon, and return for aperitivo as the evening settles in. Founded by Luigi and Vittorina Cucchi, it built its reputation as a caffè-concerto, drawing poets, artists, and socialites with jazz music and live performances. Nearly ninety years later, it remains one of the city's most beloved addresses. This Milan Design Week, Marni walked in and made it its own.
Marni x Cucchi launched on April 20th and runs through July 15th. Three months, one address, one of the most effortless collaborations of the season. Creative Director Meryll Rogge conceived the project alongside RedDuo Studio, the Milan-based interiors firm helmed by Fabiola di Virgilio and Andrea Rosso. It marks Rogge's first Milan Design Week moment at Marni. She chose a café. The right call.
Marni Dresses Cucchi From the Sugar Packet Up
The transformation reaches everything. Red and green stripes. Polka dots. A bespoke bow-tie logo fusing both identities, appearing on sugar packets, coffee cups, milk jugs, plates, textiles, and staff uniforms. RedDuo Studio built the visual language from the inside out, aligning Marni's graphic codes with Cucchi's warmth without erasing either. Red and green striped awnings frame the entrance. Customized tableware covers every surface. The café looks like Marni, yet it still feels like Cucchi.
Cucchi Revives Its Aperitivo Culture With Marni
Pasticceria Cucchi built its original reputation as a caffè-concerto. Marni brings that back. Thursday evenings host live musical performances throughout the three months, nodding to the café's origins. The aperitivo program, developed in collaboration with Martini, introduces a dedicated spritz menu: Bianco and Bitter spritzes presented as a contemporary expression of Italian aperitivo culture.
The day begins at 7:30am with morning espresso at the counter and closes at 9:30pm with the last spritz of the evening. The full rhythm of a Milanese day, dressed by Marni.
Items from the collaboration are available for purchase at Marni's Via Montenapoleone flagship and at Cucchi itself. From the branded coffee cup to the chess board, the objects carry the collaboration beyond the café and into daily life.
