In the words of the brand: sensory overload delivered.
On the 24th of February, in the midst of Milan fashion week, Moncler did it again. One house, eight rooms, eight different voices: a mega collaboration and a place of expression of a kind rarely encountered in the fashion industry. From designers Pierpaolo Piccioli of Valentino and Simone Rocha to artists such as art director and photographer Francesco Ragazzi, this season’s Moncler Genius was all about celebrating artists.
Within the queues, music and movement, a highlight of the event was definitely Piccioli’s ethereal couture dresses made from Moncler’s iconic piumino. Ethereal, imposing and iconic Piccioli’s deities are close to the Valentino imagery (and customer).
Moving forward, Simone Rocha’s creations were dispersed into a mountain forest, in their element. The designs were elegant and light, beyond outerwear. As for Piccioli’s caseRocha’s creations also target the designer’s customers, a clever move from Moncler to broaden its target segment.
The most conceptual of all was Craig Green’s vision: rafts made of piumino floating on the ceiling and voluminous, transformer-like design lines bringing the visitor to an ominous and futuristic experience.
My personal favorite: ‘Art Breaking’ Palm Angels in room #8. With Daft Punk’s Veridis Quo sounding in the background, the visitor is introduced into a dark room with TV screens projecting the audience in the interior of room #8: an art gallery where the art works are photographs of Ragazzi’s Moncler Collection.
At the bottom are vandalized mannequins splashed with paint and on the other side a screen with the words Mind Control written on it. Ground-breaking, fresh, contemporary as it can be, Francesco Ragazzi went beyond the ordinary fashion presentation.
Once more, Moncler succeeds in reinventing classic outerwear (in the age of streetwear). By presenting 8 collections it is able to be the speech for every type of consumer voice and answer to shifting buying patterns: from grunge streetwear in Hiroshi Fujiwara’s room to print extravaganza in Richard Quinn. The multi-genre experience it presents to the public offers the sense of interaction and creativity the modern consumer requires. Genius.
by Daphne Doukidis
