MILAN — That summer is the busiest period for Sardinia’s Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf retreat is a given, but its retail arm Caraluna is not staying still either.
The concept store that Carolina Fumagalli launched last year to extend the experience of her family’s hospitality business nestled in the Tavolara marine protected area is kicking off the high season with a streak of collaborations with other Italian players.
The first is a capsule collection developed with Luisa Beccaria launching Friday. Available exclusively at the store with prices spanning from 120 euros to 1,500 euros, the range comprises flowy silhouettes, lightweight separates such as shirts and sarongs, as well as swimsuits and beach accessories, all covered in poppy prints or featuring striped detailing inspired by the colors of the sun and Sardinian rocks.
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Fumagalli enthused about adding the pieces to the selection of the store, since she pointed to Luisa Beccaria as “a brand I have followed and loved for many years, and which I also chose for my wedding… It perfectly represents that natural and carefree elegance that defines both our hotel and Caraluna.”
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Luisa Beccaria designer Lucilla Bonaccorsi described the tie-up as “a spontaneous meeting of kindred visions, united by a shared love for nature, femininity and an authentic, luminous lifestyle.” The collaboration comes at a time when the fashion label established by her mother Luisa Beccaria is looking more and more to the hospitality segment. As reported, after working for years on individual home and interiors projects, Luisa Beccaria was conscripted for the outdoor space of Villa Sola Cabiati, which houses the Grand Hotel Tremezzo on Lake Como, and most recently unveiled “Poetic Living” during Milan Design Week, a full-fledged division for branded residences and real estate ventures.
The jet-setter world of Cabana will also land at Caraluna with a takeover running June 5 to 7. The venture cofounded by Martina Mondadori will bring a selection of its home and lifestyle collections in a dedicated corner at the store, in addition to a curation of the “Teresa Cercava” project by Teresa Maccapani Missoni, who will create three exclusive vases crafted by Sardinian artisans.
The collaboration, which will be celebrated with an event at Cabana’s Milan headquarters this month ahead of the launch, will see the pieces available at both Cabana and Caraluna, as well as the respective online stores.
From July 7 to 9, Caraluna will drop a capsule developed with Italian footwear brand Ilio Smeraldo. It will center on a flat sandal embellished by a rose-shaped motif and retailing at 250 euros both at the Caraluna store and online.
This launch will be followed by events dedicated to Patrizia Marras on July 24 to 26, including the signing session for her book “La moda non è un mestiere per cuori solitari,” or “Fashion is not a job for solitary hearts” in English, as well as a showcase of Recreative Sun, the sun-protective skinwear line cofounded by Chicca Senia.
“These collaborations enrich our brand identity,” Fumagalli told WWD about the store’s activations. “Due Lune was born from my grandfather’s vision, which saw it as a big seaside villa where friends could gather, sharing the same idea of a vacation and a moment of exchange, of slow time dedicated to the people you love. Our collaborations happen in the same way: the brands we connect with — organically and never in a forced way — see Due Lune and Caraluna as a natural platform because we share the same values.”
Fumagalli approaches the year-round scouting activity with the same spirit. Caraluna’s product selection — a mix of ready-to-wear, accessories, home lines, lifestyle objects, Sardinian handicrafts and vintage pieces — is overseen by her with the help of Eva Géraldine Fontanelli.
“When I first envisioned Caraluna, I was looking for someone more experienced than me to help me develop the concept and translate it into a precise and well-curated buying process, and so a mutual friend introduced me to Eva, who now oversees the choice of brands and each individual product with constant and meticulous research,” said Fumagalli.
The vintage findings are entrusted to Maccapani Missoni instead, a longtime friend of Fumagalli and “the most creative person I know,” as she put it.
Overall, the offering aims to spotlight indie brands, sustainable choices and craftsmanship, with an inclination to highlighting women-led businesses, Made in Italy fabrics and artisanal manufacturing techniques. Brands showcased by the retailer include the likes of Caftanii, Madina Visconti, Giuliva Heritage, ViBi Venezia, Peninsula, Maccapani, Micaela Spadoni, Iacobella, Le Tre Sarte, Vernisse and Made for a Woman, to cite a few.
Fumagalli, who assumed responsibility for the hotel in 2022, established the 592-square-foot store with the desire to offer guests the opportunity to bring a souvenir of their experience at the resort back home. At the same time, she looked to her audience abroad, too, setting up pop-ups at Milan’s V Maison Hotel last fall and at La Perla hotel in the Italian mountain destination of Corvara in February, for example.
Now she’s eyeing an roving format, as she teased an opening at a still-undisclosed seafront location in the U.S. is in the works. In the longer term, she also aims to establish a second permanent outpost in Milan, she said.
Meanwhile, she has been working to revamp the family business established by her grandfather Peppino Fumagalli. Born as a family retreat and now part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection, Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf made a name for itself for its discreet approach to hospitality and understated elegance mirroring the untamed beauty of the Sardinian natural landscape.
Last year, the resort invested in new infrastructure and technologies to host Italy’s first Leadbetter golf academy, offering scientific and personalized golf programs for players of all levels. This complemented other on-site wellness offerings, ranging from sports services to the spa that draws inspiration from the longevity principles of the “Blue Zones” and adopts the Biologique Recherche approach.
Culinary experiences banking on fresh local ingredients and revisiting traditional Sardinian cuisine add to the holistic well-being ambitions of the retreat, which last year also unveiled a remodeling of five of its suites overlooking the sea or garden patio.