IN MILAN SINCE 1935
The founding of Sealup
In 1935, in a Milan very different from today but already at the forefront of innovation, Piero and Germana Chiesa began producing raincoats in Via Bronzetti. They shared an instinctive passion for quality and the insight that this approach could make a difference in the emerging clothing industry.
The name itself reflects the founders’ vision. Linking the idea of the sea with their rainwear, they coined the name Sealup by combining the English word “sea” with “lup”, the Milanese word for wolf.
1950s
Expansion and innovation
Production expanded during the 1950s and, in 1959, the company moved to Via Gallarate, to a factory designed by architect Renato Bazzoni.
It was an advanced facility. The roof was designed to illuminate the workers’ tasks evenly with natural light. There was space for a staff canteen and a relaxation room, the offices featured Olivetti designer furnishings, and the production department used a mechanised data-processing centre — a predecessor of the computer — for the first time in an Italian clothing company.
Product quality depends on a working environment that inspires and reflects it.
1960s–1990s
Global expansion and prestigious collaborations
From that point on, Sealup garments began travelling around the world, worn by exceptional figures such as First Lady Jackie Kennedy. The decision to work with emerging designers, including Walter Albini and Karl Lagerfeld, on what we now call capsule collections made a difference. As Giorgio Chiesa passed the baton to his children Filippo and Cristina, respectively the company’s President and CEO, the pursuit of quality and continuous innovation in production remained Sealup’s focus, inseparable from a rigorous commitment to Made in Italy.
A Family Company Since 1935
Filippo Chiesa with his wife Gaia, his sister Cristina and his father Giorgio.
2000s
Strategic and industrial development
In 2013, Sealup took another step forward by bringing industrial production back in-house with the opening of its factory in Calusco d’Adda, in the province of Bergamo. This was a strategic choice: the area is rich in specialist skills and Bergamo still has a sewing school. An integrated structure makes the difference because it creates enormous opportunities for research. From the pattern maker’s work to the delivery of a garment to the store, every stage takes place within the company.
Today
Consolidation and growth
In 2016, the Flagship Store opened at Via Brera 3 in Milan, in the heart of the district that embodies the city’s discreet luxury, just steps from La Scala and close to the Pinacoteca. Sealup renovated its headquarters in Lomazzo, in the province of Como, and expanded its production network with a second garment factory in Costa di Mezzate and a fabric cutting facility in Fontanella, both in the province of Bergamo.
