Wireless, underwired, full coverage – may be terms used in the mobile telephony sector, but in this case I’m referring to styles of bras.
There are another 27 types available, some with decidedly odd names: bandeau, balconette, longline, convertible and, my favourite, shelf bras (Google it).
Most of these models are available at J Piccinino shops located “in all major centres” on the islands.
The present incarnation of J Piccinino Ltd dates back to the early 1970s, when Joseph Piccinino – son of Joseph Piccinino – and his wife Carmen started to “concentrate on lingerie” at their Valletta shop.
Before that, the shop run by Joseph senior – and opened during the Second World War – “did not specialise in lingerie, although he did stock corsets”, explains Carmen Piccinino, now CEO of the company. “My father-in-law sold all kinds of things, sometimes and because of the shortages during the war he would exchange a hat for a sack of potatoes with a farmer”.
However, it was not until the ‘70s that the ‘Piccinino’ we now know began to evolve.
The Republic Street shop that had been run by Joseph senior had been rented, “and my husband and I bought the property from the Church”, says Mrs Piccinino. “Slowly, slowly we began buying shops in other towns and in Gozo”.
On Malta, the Piccininos opened shops in Ħamrun, Mosta, Paola, Sliema and Valletta – where there were four at one point. By 2010 they had 13 outlets.
Piccinino Care retails post-mastectomy and prosthetic bras and swimwear to women who have had breast cancer
J Piccinino became the leading and largest retailer and wholesaler of ladies’ lingerie and swimwear on the islands. Its specialty was, and remains, “curvy women” and, no, it does not mean fat. (A curvy body is one in which the woman’s hips and breasts are well-defined, also called a full-figure.)
“We strive to give all curvy women a good fit and shape”, explains Mrs Piccinino, “and make them feel sexy and beautiful in their lingerie”.
Another important facet of the company is its Piccinino Care service, launched some 10 years ago and aimed at women who have had mastectomies.
Managed by daughter Elaine, Piccinino Care retails post-mastectomy and prosthetic bras and swimwear to women who have had breast cancer. The intention is “to help women who have had surgery feel feminine and comfortable in their everyday life”.
Piccinino Care also organise lingerie and swimwear fashion shows for these women. What’s more, the models are mostly breast cancer survivors themselves and the proceeds from these shows are donated to Europa Donna Malta – a non-profit NGO that supports “women and their families going through the trauma of breast cancer and to raise breast awareness”. The next fashion show is scheduled for June 5 and will be held at The Palace Hotel in Sliema.
In recent years J Piccinino Ltd has downsized – “the retail trade isn’t what is used to be”, says Mrs Piccinino – and now has five lingerie outlets: in Valletta, Sliema, Mosta, Paola and Victoria. The company has let its other shops and converted two into food and beverage outlets. It also employs 30 people.
In 2016 Piccinino Foods was set up and its first foray in the catering field was the opening of the Kingsway Café in Valletta. And in January 2019 the burger restaurant Bandit opened in Ħamrun, and “is doing amazingly well”.
“If we were to expand, it would not be more lingerie outlets,” says Mrs Piccinino and adds: “they do well, because ours are specialty shops, but I would not open more”.
Expanding the catering business is one possibility, she adds, but the final decision would be her children’s to make.