"At the height of our success, my brothers and I had twelve stores, all in Cagliari. We were the first to bring the big fashion brands to the city. Hermes, Fendi, Armani, Missoni, Prada, Ferrè", says Innocenzo ("but everyone calls me Lilli") Ruggieri, an entrepreneur who reigned over the shopping streets for years, while fishing through his memories. The last two brands on Via Alghero closed on December 31st: "I had to close, it was a great disappointment, but luckily I found an agreement to rent the premises to a person I respect a lot". The passing years ("I'm eighty-three") have not affected the elegance known to generations of Cagliari residents who have passed through the boutiques in the centre and the Antico Caffè - another family business -, nor have they convinced him to simply retire: "I still have many things to do, I have no intention of stopping". The grandparents, who came from Abruzzo, had opened the first store in the portico Sant'Antonio. It was 1886. In the 1930s the parents continued with a fabric shop in via Savoia, in the heart of the Marina. Then the third generation arrived: «We are four children: me, my brother Ruggiero and my sisters Maria Luisa and Lucia. In the 1960s we transformed that business into a fashion store. We went to Paris to buy ready-to-wear clothes».
Has no one in your family taken your baton?
"My daughter has lived in New York for 25 years now. She is an architect. Her life is in the United States. She married an Italian and gave me three grandchildren."
Are you sorry that he didn't follow his path?
"Yes, very much. But I accepted it. Deep down I knew it, she went to study in England at 15 and I already sensed what would happen."
Now it closes its boutiques after many years.
"But I rented the shops on Via Alghero to Patrizia Perez, who has an atelier on Via Satta. She will continue with my approach. And I am happy that she has hired my historical collaborators Betty, Emanuele, Simone, Monica and Patrizia."
Has online commerce or the parallel market of fakes had more of an impact on the decline of traditional fashion stores?
"Definitely online shopping. Especially since the big names have started selling their own clothes directly. Even though this sector is now doped by fakes. I was recently in Bodrum, Turkey, where they specialize. I saw bags that were exactly like the originals. Who knows: many people are convinced they have a Kelly but I don't know how many are real. Maybe only the Hermes experts can know."
The sales calendar has a different value than in the past.
"They overlap with promotional sales. This setup has really annoyed neighborhood stores. Now customers buy at 60% in the middle of the sales campaign. It's too much. With a system like that, only the big chains can resist."
How will the sector change in the coming years?
"The relationship with the customer will be important again. Measuring the garment, seeing it on, receiving advice, intervening with small tailoring: all this will come back into fashion."
They describe her as a very competitive person.
"It comes from sports. I was the Italian champion in the 400 hurdles in '62-'63 and the Sardinian record holder. I also ran the 400 meters and relays. I retired at 22. Athletics means going to bed early."
And she likes to live at night too.
"It's true. I couldn't stay up until four in the morning and then go to the track. I tried a few times, but Ginetto Brusa, my coach, always noticed. He made me do 200m repeats and then sent me home: 'You overdid it last night.'"
What was Cagliari like in those years?
"Very beautiful. There were no discos, parties were held at home, or at the Circolo della Marina. There were private clubs: I remember one in via della Pineta. Another, called Lauc, near the university."
She is a frequent visitor to the Costa Smeralda.
«I bought a house in Porto Rotondo in 1972».
Better today or in those years?
"You can't compare them. I'm obviously more fond of the Seventies. I'll tell you something."
Please.
"Before, to go to Porto Rotondo there was an old road with a very low tunnel. Legend has it that buses with tourists couldn't pass. I don't know if it's better or worse, for sure there were fewer people."
A vote for the city of Cagliari.
"It's more beautiful now than before. It's now devoted to tourism. In the 1980s, some hotels closed in August, now it would be unthinkable. For this we have to thank low-cost flights."
Do you like the new Via Roma?
"I think the result is quite nice, but the work took too long and damaged the commercial activities in the area. Traffic will also be affected. When they invite me to dinner at the Marina I immediately think "and where do I park?". I hope that the same thing doesn't happen to the San Benedetto market."
How many friends does he have?
"Many. I don't want to name names. People like me, from the upper middle class. We studied with some of them, and we met others while going out at night."
Those were the years of Gigi Riva.
"I knew him but didn't hang out with him. He came to the shop: he didn't speak much, he married a very dear friend of mine."
His routine today.
"As soon as I wake up I read L'Unione Sarda, then I start working at home and then I move to the office in my hotel, which I still manage together with my nephew. I also take care of some properties that I own. I work until the evening."
What do you miss most about your youth?
"Sport. I was wrong to put athletics aside. I was already in the national team, I could have even dreamed of the Olympics. However, once you stop, one or two years are enough to lose everything."
How do you keep fit?
"I'm pretty lazy, I don't do any physical activity. When I ran, everything was aimed at a record time, at competition. I did the 400 hurdles in 54 seconds and 9 tenths."
What is elegance?
"It's a question of moderation, grace and movement. You can buy the best dress there is, but if you don't know how to wear it, there's little you can do. Of course, your body must help. If you're tall and thin, everything looks good on you. Style is different: you can't learn that."
Michael Ruffi