Di Gaia Rialti
From Tuscany to Vogue Italia: the story of Gaia and Andrea, and of a dress that was born again.
The return of conscious beauty
There is an image that holds all the magic of a new beginning: a thirty-year-old dress brought back to life, a wedding among the vineyards of Le Filigare Wine & Country Relais, and the golden light of the Tuscan countryside gently embracing two young newlyweds.
Gaia and Andrea’s wedding was much more than a celebration. It was a story of values, a conscious choice, an intimate rite that united tradition and a contemporary vision.
Every detail, thoughtfully designed, expressed the essence of slowness and gratitude: a beauty born from respect for what already exists.
The 1991 Dress: A Family Story of Metamorphosis
In true Menabòh spirit, Gaia didn’t choose a wedding dress – she transformed one. The starting point was the gown her mother, Claudia Stocchi, designed and wore in 1991: a French lace sheath dress with three-quarter sleeves, paired with a long skirt with a train and a short veil.
Together with the Menabòh team, Gaia completely reinterpreted it, preserving its original soul while rewriting its form: a corset mini-dress overlaid with a rounded skirt hand-embroidered with pearls, paired with a high-waisted long skirt with a side slit. The French lace became a transformable bolero, and the sleeves were finished with vintage lace found in a market. “I tried on other dresses,”
Gaia recalls, “but the emotion I felt wearing hers was incomparable. It was as if that dress had been waiting for me.”
Every piece of fabric from her mother’s dress was reused with care; nothing was wasted – a perfect symbol of Menabòh’s philosophy: not to create, but to transform.
Le Filigare: Nature, Light, Harmony
Nestled between Florence and Siena, Le Filigare Wine & Country Relais offered a timeless setting — a place where stone meets light and nature becomes both frame and protagonist.
Photographer Alessio Pagni and videomaker Matteo Ortili captured the essence of the day: the calm of the vineyards, the complicity of glances, the scent of Tuscan air mingling with emotion.
During the ceremony, harpist Orsola Borella accompanied every step with sweetness.
Local flowers, natural fabrics, candles made from beeswax, nothing was chosen to impress, everything to belong.
A wedding as an act of coherence, a silent dialogue between love and respect for the earth.
Menabòh: The Startup Giving New Voice to Beloved Garments
From this vision, Menabòh was born, the platform founded by Gaia Rialti in 2022.
A digital and human space that connects designers, seamstresses, and artisans, bringing forgotten garments back to life and turning them into stories to be worn.
“Every fabric has a memory, every stitch a sign of life,” says Gaia.
With Menabòh, fashion becomes intimate, personal, and grounded. Even for the wedding day, the startup acts as a voice for a unique style that allows stories to be passed on. The transformation service is also available for bridal and formal wear.
Travel as Horizon
Like the dress that traveled through time, Menabòh is ready to cross new borders.
From Tuscany to America, the brand is preparing to bring its philosophy overseas, with pop-up events in New York dedicated to garment transformation and luxury circular fashion.
A journey that stands as a metaphor for rebirth: from Tuscan roots to the international stage, Menabòh moves like a thread connecting cultures, stories, and generations. An invitation to rediscover the beauty of authenticity, slowness, and memory.
“Regeneration is not only a creative act,” concludes Gaia. “It is an act of love for what already exists.”
Info: www.menaboh.com