Maurizio Marinella: "That surprise phone call from Mina and the 400 ties a month for Berlusconi."

The voice on the other end politely requested some white silk scarves. A ten-minute conversation between customer and shopkeeper erupted, culminating in the unexpected revelation: "Maurizio, didn't you recognize me? I'm Mina."

Maurizio Marinella, sole director of the historic Neapolitan tie house founded in 1914, revealed the background. Speaking live from Naples at the third edition of the "Let's Rewrite the Future" talk at the Fermo Forum, the entrepreneur opened his memory lane to illustrate the connection between sartorial tradition, artisanal care, and personal relationships built over 112 years of history.

Mina's surprise in the Chiaia shop

"Mina has always been a dream for me," Marinella confided during the meeting. Once the details of the white scarf supply had been finalized, the day took a memorable turn a few hours later, around six in the evening, in front of the historic Riviera di Chiaia headquarters.

"A monumental plant appeared in front of our shop, which measures just twenty square meters. I almost complained to the florist because we didn't have the space to display it," the entrepreneur recalled with a smile. The gift was clarified by the enclosed note: "Thank you for your love, Mina." From that gesture and the subsequent thank-you phone call, a relationship of mutual respect and friendship was born that continues to this day.

Record orders and negotiations with Berlusconi

The story then shifted to Silvio Berlusconi, remembered by Marinella as one of the maison's most assiduous and demanding clients: "For about three and a half years, we worked tirelessly for him. He ordered 400 ties a month, intended for his institutional and personal gifts." A key detail of the ties was the classic micro-pattern with the distinctive blue and white pin.

Among the most emblematic episodes was a trip to Rome just before Christmas, during the Cavaliere's second term at Palazzo Chigi. "He summoned me to Palazzo Grazioli on December 17th and said, 'Maurizio, I need 2.500 ties by the day after tomorrow.' I pointed out that with our hand-cutting pace, that was technically impossible. His immediate response was, 'Then send me 2.400.' A lengthy commercial negotiation ensued: in the end, we managed to agree on 600 ties."