Moncler's new Genius Project: 'A Republic of imagination' debuts at MFW
“A Republic of imagination” is how Moncler described its new Moncler Genius project, which the company unveiled with a special event opening Milan Fashion Week on Tuesday.
To be sure, imagination and creativity stood out throughout the installation, which featured a building with seven cells, each of them housing one of the seven collections that Moncler will launch over the next few months with special drops. At the entrance of the space two imaginative museum bookshops displayed the lineup that was developed by Francesco Ragazzi, creative director of Palm Angels, and the eighth brand involved in the Genius project.
Lights were projected on the silver tarps covering the cells, featuring arch entrances giving access to the eight different microcosms. Reflecting the specific identity of each collection, the cells were all decorated with customized installations.
For example, Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli embellished his cell with works by artist Sidival Fila, which were deeply linked with the sense of purity infused in his Moncler Pierpaolo Piccioli collection. “I wanted to focus on authenticity and the essentials,” the designer said. “That’s the reason why I used the most basic nylon, which I crafted for the silhouettes I like, inspired by Piero della Francesca and Beato Angelico’s paintings.” Piccioli developed a lineup focused on Moncler’s bread and butter — the down jacket — including padded capes and cropped styles, cut in flared silhouettes. The pieces were layered to obtain charming color combinations, as well as total white and total black outfits with a monastic feel.
Models walked among rocks that looked covered in snow in Simone Rocha’s cell. The rugged set contrasted with the beautiful femininity of her creations, which included a chic coat embroidered with cherry blossoms, a nylon dress embellished with floral appliqués and elegant ruffled down jackets.
Impactful and outstanding, Kei Ninomiya’s designs for Moncler Noir challenged the use of duvet, which was manipulated to obtain the innovative knit of sculptural jackets and capes with 3-D textures.
British men’s wear designer Craig Green played with volumes and proportions, delivering inflated armors for futuristic human creatures, while a human kaleidoscope was created in the Moncler Grenoble room, where a giant mirror projected the images of models in colorful ski and snowboard gear moving in sync on the snowy floor.
A streetwear spin was injected in the Moncler Fragment collection by Hiroshi Fujiwara, who reworked classic down jackets and vests, embellishing them with patches, embroideries and prints. They were matched with cozy mohair sweaters and tartan shirts.
The Moncler 1952 collection was originally developed by Karl Templer, but after the sexual misconduct allegations published in The Boston Globe last week, the name of the stylist has disappeared from any Moncler communication. As reported, Moncler has had no comment on Templer and the allegations. The Moncler 1952’s cell featured a colorful installation with revised archival outerwear pieces revamped with pop colors and enlarged logos.
The whole thing was grand and definitely creative and innovative. Genius? Not sure. But definitely, ingenious.
Launch Gallery: Moncler Genius Collection RTW Fall 2018
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