What’s Hot at Milan Fashion Week: Five Collaborations to Watch
Unity is strength. And brands know that. Here, WWD rounds up five of the most anticipated collaborations debuting at Milan Fashion Week.
Plan C x Perimetro (Tokyo)
Tokyo is a point of reference for Italian luxury brand Plan C. It doesn’t only continue to inspire its creative director Carolina Castiglioni, but the Japanese capital is also the location of the brand’s first flagship store.
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To celebrate this bond, Plan C has teamed with Perimetro, a magazine dedicated to the work of a global community of photographers documenting the urban landscape, to stage an exhibition running Sept. 24 to 26 during Milan Fashion Week.
Titled “Tokyo and Its Contemporary Storytellers,” the exhibit features images submitted by an array of Tokyo-based photographers and selected with the support of Japanese curator and gallerist Naoko Otha.
“When I’m in Tokyo, everything speaks to me; it’s where I find inspiration. The people dress in a way that is never banal, they choose unusual combinations of colors and fabrics. I like the austerity of their work clothes and the mingling of styles, and the modern architecture in stark contrast with the traditional houses,” Castiglioni said. “I loved the idea of telling the story of the city we chose for our flagship store through photography. In my collections, I always use travel images or personal recollections to decorate T-shirts and accessories. We met up with Sebastiano Leddi from Perimetro a year ago, and over a cup of tea came up with the idea of producing a special edition on Tokyo.”
Courtesy of Plan C
The images showcased in the exhibition have also been collected in a special issue of Perimetro dedicated to Tokyo and have been printed on a range of limited-edition Plan C T-shirts.
“The stories selected form a collective insight that seeks to propose a contemporary photograph of the city. From the windows of Minoru Hohtuski and the tale of the river by Nori Hosaka to the urban development transformation of a street produced by Bruno Quintet,” said Leddi, Perimetro’s editor in chief. “Each author proposes his or her own interpretation of Tokyo, small projects aimed at encouraging a reflection on what it means to live in one of the most intricate cities in the world.”
Both the Perimetro Tokyo issue and the dedicated Plan C capsule will be available at the exhibition and at the Plan C online store, as well as at a special pop-up located inside Milan’s cult multibrand store Banner in the Golden Triangle shopping district.
“We have always felt a very strong affinity toward Japan, for its art, history, culture and fashion. Tokyo is a city of a thousand suggestions, and when Carolina Castiglioni proposed to us to be part of the project and host a pop-up in our boutique we were immediately enthusiastic,” said Banner owner Carlo Biffi Cereda. “The journey through images undertaken by Plan C and Perimetro is a beautiful way to bring a little bit of Tokyo to Milan, and we are really happy to be part of this important initiative.” — Alessandra Turra
Margherita Maccapani Missoni x Max & Co.
Margherita Maccapani Missoni has more to say about fashion.
The designer has been tapped by Max & Co. to create a co-branded capsule collection to be unveiled during Milan Fashion Week, as part of the Max Mara Fashion Group’s label’s spring 2022 collection.
The seminal collaboration inaugurates an ongoing series of partnerships for Max & Co. dubbed &Co.llaboration, which are aimed at linking with creative friends of the brand tasked with reinterpreting the house codes.
“I believe that today a contemporary brand like Max & Co. needs cross-pollination in order to evolve, nourish its creative spirit and establish an exchange with different talents,” said Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti Germanetti, global omnichannel director at the brand. “I think it’s essential to be less self-referential and this is a good way to challenge ourselves,” she added.
“It was very flattering to be selected as the first partner for this project,” confessed Maccapani Missoni, who’s linked to Prezioso Maramotti Germanetti via a longstanding friendship.
“I’ve always respected Max Mara for the way the family has managed the company and for staying on the sides of the fashion circles. There’s a thread connecting my decision to live in Varese [a small town north of Milan] and the Maramotti family, which is based in Reggio Emilia,” she said.
Courtesy of Max & Co.
The 35-piece capsule collection’s name, Shall We?, not only reflects Maccapani Missoni’s life motto but coincides with the answer she gave to Prezioso Maramotti Germanetti when they first discussed launching a co-branded effort. “We wanted to team up with someone who’s knowledgeable and passionate about fashion, who could combine her sense of style with the eccentric and ironic take on fashion that is part of the Max & Co.’s DNA….We really had a lot of fun,” the brand executive noted.
Maccapani Missoni wanted the collection to be distinctively Max & Co. while incorporating her joyful aesthetic. Cue a trenchcoat that can be worn as a dress, with nothing underneath; a flowing shirtdress with buttons that can be turned into a short frock, a long skirt or even a top, as well as scarf tops and relaxed blazers.
“I was inspired by the days when I used to be an avid Max & Co. consumer, in the 1990s, retrieving their hero products from the archives and customizing them with my very personal, colorful and at times off-kilter creative vision,” she explained.
To be sure, delving into the brand’s archives in Reggio Emilia, the designer was fascinated by the utilitarian approach the brand has always stood for, with its range of unfussy and practical clothing for women on the go.
“A Max&Co. piece of clothing should ‘work hard’ as much as the woman wearing it, they need to be flexible and versatile,” Maccapani Missoni said with a chuckle.
In addition to adding her colorful spin, Maccapani Missoni deployed tongue-in-cheek embroideries shaped as daisies — a nod to her first name, which means “daisy” in Italian.
The collection will hit stores and the brand’s e-commerce site in February next year. — Martino Carrera
Viky Rader (@Vikyandthekid) x Maria Luca
Maria Luca, the footwear label established and designed by Carlotta De Luca, who in 2011 launched the Charline De Luca brand, has teamed with Munich-based digital content creator Viky Rader, aka @vikyandthekid, on a capsule collection that will debut at Milan Fashion Week.
“I met Viky last winter and when I returned to Rome, my creative hub, I started thinking that I wanted to give Maria Luca a more fashion and contemporary twist, which is something defining Viky’s aesthetic,” said De Luca, whose footwear line is produced and distributed by Italian company HIM Co SpA — High Italian Manufacturing. “Maria Luca has a nostalgic and minimal vibe. Viky is a very modern woman with a very impactful style. So I thought that together we could have created an interesting contrast.”
“When I met with Carlotta, I immediately fell in love with her aesthetics and taste. She has a strong Italian heritage and her background in architecture is reflected in her work. I enjoyed every bit of it. Carlotta took me through the creative process and really explained how shoes are made,” Rader commented.
The capsule includes two drops. The first will hit physical stores and online shops in December while resort deliveries, which will include a completely new heel, will be available from mid-February.
Viky Rader X Maria Luca Spring 2022 Capsule Collection
The first drop includes geometric shapes, including slingbacks with chunky graphic heels, mules and ballerinas with squared toes, all featuring the brand’s signature anklets decorating the left shoe.
“I wanted to give a strong design contribution, but at the same time quality and comfort are so important to me. I loved working closely with Carlotta and the team, meeting the artisans was amazing,” Rader explained. “The production site for Maria Luca is in Veneto, therefore I thought of something very recognizable for the area, and Murano came to my mind. I am so happy with the result of these colorful artisanal beads,” added Rader, referring to the multicolored beads peppering the ankles of the ballerina styles, available in orange, black and a zebra pattern.
The Made In Italy collection, positioned in the advanced contemporary market, mainly targets European consumers, but will be available in select stores across the U.S.
The capsule will be unveiled during a cocktail party Friday at Maria Luca’s parent company store, named Blancah, on Milan’s Via Sant’Andrea. — A.T.
Evangelie Smyrniotaki x Amotea
Established in 2019, Amotea is a women’s contemporary label designed by founder and creative director Diletta Amodei.
“The aesthetic of Amotea is feminine and romantic but at the same time refined and daring, with particular attention to details, volumes and shapes,” said the designer, adding that Amotea wants to offer “a refined and timeless wardrobe, for an elegant woman, to combine modern design with specialized and conscious craftsmanship, with a focus on sustainability and excellence of Made in Italy.”
Retailing at prices ranging between 200 euros and 1,000 euros, Amotea made a name for itself with a series of feminine items that include couture-inspired dresses and fringed separates, but also tailored denim blazers embellished with jewel buttons.
In order to give a boost to the brand’s visibility, Amodei is going to unveil during Milan Fashion Week a capsule collection developed in collaboration with Evangelie Smyrniotaki, the digital content creator behind Instagram account @styleheroine.
Courtesy of Amotea
“The idea of collaborating with Evangelie stems from the need for me, as the brand’s creative director, to have a coherent ambassador, who can broaden the audience, and consolidate the digital path that we have undertaken since the beginning. We wanted to combine the image of the brand with that of a digital talent, an international style icon, who could give a gritty, more sensual twist to our DNA,” explained Amodei. “I think that the result was incredible since the aesthetics of the brand and the aesthetics of Evangelie are perfectly integrated. The woman that we both wanted to address is modern, confident and at ease in her own skin, so the garments included in the capsule are fitted and wrap the body.”
Amodei explained that the capsule, which uses a restrained color palette of black and white, is mainly crafted from a sustainable recycled viscose, used for three bodycon pieces, a jumpsuit, as well as a dress and a bodysuit, featuring open backs. In addition, Amodei and Smyrniotaki used GOTS-certified cotton poplin to create a tomboy oversize shirt paired with shorts.
“It’s been amazing collaborating with Diletta, she is a genuinely sweet person. It was also extremely important for me to bring my true DNA to our capsule collection. Diletta has been so wonderful to give me the absolute freedom to create,” Smyrniotaki said. “I’ve wanted to make pieces that could be worn from day to night, in any circumstances, pieces that we always want but somehow that are so hard to find. Pieces that also respect the core of Amotea, a brand that celebrates femininity.” — A.T.
Borsalino x Àcheval
Borsalino is hitting the unspoiled lands of South America, courtesy of its latest collaboration.
As part of the hatmaker’s ongoing series of tie-ups with international fashion names, which have included Valentino, Yohji Yamamoto and Ami Paris so far, the company is teaming with Àcheval and its Argentinean cofounders Sofia Àchaval de Montaigu and Lucila Sperber.
Debuting for spring 2022, the three-piece, equestrian-themed range of raffia hats includes a wide brim Gaucho iteration embellished with a black grosgrain ribbon and the traditional Argentinean leather chinstrap or with a band featuring horse illustrations and a visor hat inspired by the caps sported by polo players.
“By bringing together our two creative forces, this collaboration has given birth to a new, singular, stylistic dialogue,” Borsalino managing director Mauro Baglietto explained, adding that recent tie-ups have proven successful and were pivotal in enhancing the hat maker’s engagement of new targets and markets.
Courtesy of Borsalino
Àchaval de Montaigu noted that she and Sperber had been dreaming of a summer version of both hats’ styles, a celebration of their South American roots, for a long time and in Borsalino found the ideal match.
“The story is quite magical. We were both at the Pellicano Hotel in Porto Ercole, Italy, last summer, Lucila was wearing the Borsalino cap, and we both imagined how we could collaborate and imagined the Gaucho and Polo hats made by Borsalino for us,” Àchaval de Montaigu said.
“We feel that Borsalino represents the same values that we believe in and work for. Timeless savoir faire is very important for us. We also love that they represent the Italian spirit since 1857,” noted Sperber.
As a local brand with global appeal, Àcheval should benefit from the exposure an international stage like Milan Fashion Week will bring. Baglietto noted that they decided to present the capsule in tandem with the event for business purposes but also as a way to “celebrate and join the collective energy of a restart.”
The capsule collection will be sold at both brands’ flagship stores as well as online, in addition to at select retailers. — M.C.
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