Up, Up and Away

Blunauta (Rome), one of Europe's hottest women's fashion collections, has now completed its U.S. debut at four Florida shopping centers.

With its opening at The Falls in Miami, the fashion retailer is now doing business at four Taubman shopping centers (the others being International Plaza in Tampa, The Mall at Millenia in Orlando and The Mall at Wellington Green in Palm Beach County). They are the first Blunauta stores outside Europe.

“The climate in Florida is very close to the climate in Italy,” explains Elisabetta Franceschi, Blunauta's U.S. manager. “We're testing the American market in Florida, and then we'd like to develop street stores on the East Coast, in prestigious cities such as New York, and then move on to the West Coast. We want to be world-famous, not just a European company.”

The stores range from 3339 square feet at The Mall at Millenia and International Plaza to 1830 square feet at The Mall at Wellington Green and The Falls.

Blunauta operates more than 100 stores in Italy, Spain, England and Portugal. It is best-known for soft silk skirts and blouses, but also designs and sells natural fiber knitwear, pants, suits, coats, dresses and underwear, as well as accessories and purses. It says its target customer “is the woman who cares about balancing price, quality and fashion. ” Colorful silk blouses, for example, average $95 to $135.

The name Blunauta, according to Franceschi, comes from the hot-air balloon logo of the parent company, Balloon S.p.A. Blunauta is the person who pilots the balloon. “The connection is that mongolfiera (Italian for hot-air balloon) and blunauta are related to the air and travel,” she explains. “Blunauta uses natural fibers, so you feel comfortable everywhere with what you're wearing. Our clothes put you at ease no matter where you are.”