The return of the Paninari

Few subcultures are as inherently Italian as that of the Paninari, born out of the 1980’s economic boom, their legacy continues to resonate in Italy until this day, with a whole new Italian coming of age fashion generation owing much more to the Paninari then they themselves even realize.

It is the early 80’s, Reaganomics and Thatcherism are raging strong throughout the western world, backed up locally in Italy by Prime minister Bettino Craxi, which is plowing the economic grounds that will allow for the seeds of the Paninari to grow. Times are good, and the economic growth in Italy is booming, a new generation of middle and upper-class youth with money to spend want to express themselves loudly and boldly and fashion is their tool to do it. As less regulated markets instigate a meteoric rise in consumerism, these youths want to distinguish themselves as living in the fast lane with access to all the big global brands at their disposal. Berlusconi is transmitting messages of consumerism across his own new business venture the television, Hollywood fashion and bravado is being beamed right along with it, and America is influencing Italian adolescents like it never has before.  

They would start meeting at the Panino cafè in Milan, and the hamburger or Panino (sandwich) which was the closest thing Italians had to a burger at the time, was the ultimate symbol of this new consumeristic globalized way of life, fast food, fast life! So much so that it became a symbol for the movement, a fast food sandwich rebelling against the Italian national heritage of slow cooked food, slow life, and slow lives. They wanted it all, they wanted it fast, and they wanted it now.

The epicenter for the meetings then shifted to Piazza San Babila, where a brand new Italian fast food chain called Burghy had just opened. Hearing the Italians hungry cries for burgers that was spreading across the peninsula, Burgy was Italy’s first proper burger restaurant,  and the boom was so big that a Torinese newspaper, La Stampa, did a piece on the phenomenon, naming the hungry Paninaro, and the many devout followers the Paninari, and a movement was born. Going far beyond the shallow meaning intended by the newspaper headline, the Paninari themselves imposed the title with the underlying values of a new fast food lifestyle. It symbolized all the glamours lives and flash they felt everyone in America was leading based on what was seen through their televisions, and they wanted a piece of the sweet life too. These bold youths rebelled against the reserved mildness of post-war Italy and wanted to show off what they had, the more attention they gathered in the process the better. Fashion became a crucial part of getting that message across. 

Opposing contemporary movements such as punk and new wave, that were anti-establishment and anti-consumerism, the Paninari wanted the exact opposite and liked to adorn themselves with loud colors and heavily branded fashion, to show off exactly where they stood. Certain brands became synonyms with the movement. Timberland boots or Converse and Vans shoes, Levis jeans, Moncler, Ralph Lauren, New Man, Best Company, and Alpha One jackets, topped off with Ray-Ban shades was the look, and the ultimate cherry on top was the Rolex Daytona wristwatch. The movements hunger for the watch went as far as to create a global inflation in the price of Rolex, as dealers were forced to purchase Rolex Daytonas in other parts of the world to ship them to Italy in order to keep up the demand. The legends say it even went as far as to cause a global Rolex shortage.

The Paninari were also the first to champion a budding Stone Island, long before hooligan culture in the UK would take it as their uniform. Stone Island because it was well-designed, and had an unmistakable identity in its logo, something the Paninari gravitated to because of its strong and instant brand appeal. 

Though the original trend has long since passed, its heritage is hard not to see the echoes of in today's fast lane fashion youth movements. We are currently in a strong brand and logo oriented resurgence at the moment, where expression via a certain brand is taking president over a well sculpted over-all look. A whole new generation is being woken up to the importance and influence of fashion, though just like the Paninari its a rather narrow segment of brands that are showing that you are in the know, just like the basic hype boy starter kit today is Supreme, Off-White and Yeezy sneakers, they are trying to equate money and brands with style and fashion. 

There is, of course, a more literal connection fashion wise too, one need only look at certain recent campaigns by for example Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, the return of Moncler, or the visual expression of a rising star like Napoli’s Liberato so see the influence of the more sporty Americana look, mixed with a bit of undeniable Italian panache. The bomber jackets, the converse sneakers, and exuding of cool from every pore, it is that Paninari vibe all over again. It also references a bubble in time where things were simpler, a wave of nostalgia that is an undeniable part of the young Neapolitan stars expression and aesthetic. 

How much of a resurgence they will have remains to be seen, but it is not about a comeback, as their influential heritage has not always been so clear to see on the surface and has been hidden away in the DNA of Italian fashion. Just like we can't escape our genetics, a coming of age Italian fashion youth can't deny their roots in the fashion of the Paninari and might be encouraged to having a look back while they look forward.