The Cloister: founded by Daniela Cavero to redefine the Milanese vintage market

Milanese citizens were skeptical about buying second-hand and uninformed on the subject, Mrs. Cavero created a format: The Cloister store

A cloister hidden in the historical part of Milan

During the fifteenth century, one of the most prominent Milanese families built their palace in Via Valpetrosa – the city center of the Lombard capital. The commission was entrusted to Bramante’s pupils. They realized the palace around a square court – a distinctive trait of their art. Casa Grifoni is today almost identical, to witness the splendor of Renaissance Milan.

Inside Casa Grifoni’s court was born the concept store The Cloister, founded by Daniela Cavero. In 2017, Mrs. Cavero returned to Italy from Paris and decided to establish her first concept store in Milano. During her Parisian years, she worked in the second-hand market. There she mastered vintage research and created a network of vendors.

Mrs. Cavero was introduced to the second-hand market at a young age by her mother. Since she grew up in Genova, Liguria, her mother brought her to discover vintage pieces inside the marchés aux puces in the south of France. Despite Mrs. Cavero’s mom being more interested in vintage furniture, she passed on her passion and skills for hunting the best pieces.

Milanese panorama of the vintage market

When Mrs. Cavero arrived in Milan, she found a city that already had vintage realities to offer. The Milanese citizens were skeptical about buying second-hand and were uninformed on the subject. After analyzing this, Mrs. Cavero decided to mix her experiences and ideas, which were eventually merged to create a format: The Cloister store. 

The Cloister is a concept store with a range of products. It varies from second-hand fashion, vintage furniture, and accessories alongside brands that Mrs. Cavero has chosen herself for their story and quality. Along those, The Cloister also has a dedicated corner to magazines from all around the world. 

Although this is the current shape of the Cloister, Mrs. Cavero in the past has closely watched its target audience to provide an experience. At the beginning, the concept store was only selling second-hand clothes. After the request of a few customers, she began to sell furniture and, eventually, her magazine corner.

How scouting works for vintage resellers

Mrs. Cavero has distinguished herself in the Milanese market for her choice of vintage pieces. To achieve her collection, she has a solid network of suppliers that comes both from Italy and France. Inside The Cloister it is possible to find pieces from stylists that have been forgotten by the mainstream, but have made a contribution to fashion history. Secondly, by herself, she frequents several markets where she scouts different pieces to resell later in her store. All these aspects are also valid both for accessories and furniture.

The criteria behind her selection are: the quality of the piece and second whatever is able to get her attention. She has a trained eye that allows her to understand the gravity of holes and stains on the clothes. For a second-hand buyer it is fundamental to discover hollows made by moths right away because if they were introduced into their warehouse, they would eventually infect and destroy every possessed leader. However, Mrs. Cavero has a collaboration with a tailor that can adjust minor defects. Moreover, The Cloister accepts pieces also from private owners but are usually fewer in number. 

What distinguishes the vintage markets is that every piece sold is a unique piece. Mrs. Cavero has set no limits when it comes to vintages. In fact, she chooses, buys, and exhibits pieces ranging from the late nineteenth century to the early 2000s. In fact, she was able to find clothes that date back to 1890, still in good condition. Some of those pieces are on display inside The Cloister, while others are kept in storage given their fragility. However, they are still on sale. 

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Inside The Cloister

Since it is housed in an ancient palace, Mrs. Cavero has decided to maintain the original spaces and perform a conservative renovation. In fact, she immediately fell in love with the palace the first time she visited it, and with its story, which led her to make it more visible. Inside The Cloister, people can see three different floorings that are of different ages and narrates the event that Casa Grifi witnessed, as well as the walls and arches.

When Mrs. Cavero purchased the store, the iron storehouse was already there. She decided not to remove it but instead to add her furniture from there. She designed and realized clothes hangers in wrought iron to be added to the loft. All furniture added to The Cloister is on sale or removable in order to preserve the original structure. For this reason, the store changes every month or whenever some furniture is sold or purchased.

Furthermore, The Cloister has a full event calendar dedicated to fashion and art. On those occasions, the store changed to welcome all the public and the exhibition of artists. In fact, Mrs. Cavero has cultivated friendships with local artists and professionals who are invited to make the shop a cultural hotspot. Although with warmer weather, the shop has a different allure since it is also possible to admire the palace’s court from the store arches.

The vintage community

Mrs. Cavero, during her years abroad, was able to meet different realities, but especially different relationships with the second-hand market. Outside of Italy, people are more open to buying vintage clothes, better educated, and open to reselling them when unused. On the other hand, Italians are more skeptical. The hardship noted by Mrs. Cavero is the fact that they are more averse to buying clothing worn by the former owners, even when the pieces are from luxury labels. This is due to poor knowledge of the second hand because, in fact, many pieces come from the stock market, which is clothing that went unsold from fashion firms.

The majority of clients is made up of foreign visitors that find her store in foreign magazines and tourist guides. In recent years, Mrs. Cavero saw an increase in Italian clients inside The Cloister, specifically Milanese. This is due to the awareness that this market is more viable than fast fashion, eventually leading them to discover unique pieces at a lower price.

The Cloister’s future plans

The Cloister is a relatively newly founded activity, but Mrs. Cavero is already thinking about her future. In her dreams, there is an extension of the shop, perhaps with a Drogheria or a newsstand, in order to bring back to the Milanese community ancient trades now abandoned.

Mrs. Cavero is getting ready to face a shortage in products due to the rise in popularity of vintage shops and the internet trade. In her opinion, new products will continue to enter the second-hand market. This includes high fashion brands and haute couture, creating a new market stream.

The Cloister

Via Valpetrosa, 5, 20123 Milano MI

The Cloister, nestled inside Casa Grifi, a palace erected in the fifteenth century, situated in via Valpetrosa 5, Milano. Daniela Cavero founded the store in 2017. This was after returning to Italy from Paris, where she moved her first step into the vintage market. Inside The Cloister, people can find vintage clothes, furniture, and accessories alongside magazines and contemporary brands.

Fabiana Boglione