Four Projects Worth Watching – WWD

Milan – The men’s Fashion Week calendar welcomes a handful of banking novices to the global vision the show offers to present their spring collections and projects. From Lecico Familyari and Simon Cracker’s eco-friendly approach, to Sease’s charitable determination and Joeone’s celebration of China’s heritage, these are the first four appearances to watch this week.

Simon Cracker

Simon Cracker, the brand founded and run by Simone Botte, is no newbie.

Founded by Butt in 2010 with a radical approach that was both a pleasure and a pain when he took advantage of recycling when the word had not yet been invented and felt somewhat marginalized by the industry, despite the loyal customer crowd for his one-of-a-kind creations.

To further advance his sustainable commitment, he pledges to use only recycled materials, right down to sewing thread, but he has recognized the importance of scale and taken the right steps to build the brand’s structure.

“I used to have loyal clients but now the audience is growing… I rely on a very sharp and precise vocabulary, which can guide all our decisions especially now that we are taking some steps forward,” said Putti.

After bringing in Filippo Biraghi as brand coordinator, the designer is ready to embrace industrial scale manufacturing, provided companies can align with his environmentally minded demands, and take on the “mainstream” of the brand without giving up on his dreams and the brand’s founding values.

Nobody is really happy with how things are managed [in fashion]but when someone tries to offer a different perspective, the concerns of the industry change.”

In a sign of their interest in taking steps toward brand growth and commercial expansion, Simon Cracker is holding its first listed show on Sunday.

Botti and Braggie explained that the brand’s overarching theme is “evil kindness,” which has been telegraphed to the genderless spring collection through two-pronged inspiration—part “Little House on the Prairie” and part “Reality Bites,” a 1994 film by Ben Stiller starring Winona Rider.

While avoiding gender stereotypes, the collection will be showcased by men and women alike, all among the brands’ friends who wear spiked petticoats and dresses, evoking “the comforting scent of drying clean laundry,” as Butt puts it; Tailor-made suits of clothes abandoned in laundry shops; Knitwear made of dead thread, and outerwear made of parachute fabrics.

“Our participation in Fashion Week demonstrates our ambition to continue what we are doing but on an industrial scale, and to find manufacturers that will help us expand our business,” said Butt. – Martino Carrera

joone

When Paris-based emerging designer Louis-Gabriel Nucci was hired as Joeone’s creative director, he immediately realized that the toughest task would be keeping up with the Chinese company’s prowess in making pants, while expanding its offering and turning it into a full-fledged job. Imitation fashion brand.

Joeone, which has built big business in its home market and prides itself on selling a pair of pants every seven seconds, made its first show outside of China in 2021 during Paris Fashion Week. But she flies to Milan and will stage a runway show on Monday at Piazza Castello Sforzesco.

“Milan is a strong city of fashion, especially for menswear, with historical experience and exemplary way of tailoring,” said Nucci. “It also fits perfectly with the atmosphere we wanted to evoke to display this collection. It is a city that also has a strong connection to China, and I would like to capitalize on that association.”

Nouchi’s strict method of sewing earned him the job. Due to the differences in Chinese and Western tailoring, Nouchi was trying to strike a balance.

“I’ve always loved to combine these two approaches,” he explained. “…I love to bring the sense of oversized shapes into a more casual and more wearable wardrobe.”

The Spring collection refers to the era of the Song Dynasty in China and takes inspiration from Wang Shiming’s painting “A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains”, commissioned by Emperor Song Huizong, who was famous for his brilliant taste. Nouchi explained, “I wanted to enter this distinct part of Chinese history in the present.”

The designer reinterpreted rolling hills, vast lakes and rivers in artwork featuring bright blue brushstrokes for a fluid-look, slightly glowing printed silk trousers, paired with sheer white sheer shirts. Sportswear bent over a few patterns, which Nouchi balances with his edgy designs, is the core of Joeone’s offerings, achieving a streamlined look.

“It is a reflection of what men love to wear today, in terms of function, comfort and style,” he said, noting that the pants, their fit, waist and detailing have always been the starting point for the look.

The morning show, scheduled for 9:30 AM CET, will be broadcast live on Weibo and WeChat to reach local audiences, who are still banned from travel due to the pandemic. For virtual show goers and IRL, Nouchi organized a show aimed at the telegraph of Desire and Imagination. – MC

He woke up

A batch of activists will mark Sease’s premiere as part of Milan Fashion Week. The performance lifestyle brand founded by brothers Franco and Giacomo Loro Piana will not only highlight its new offering, but capture the event’s vision to raise awareness about the work of Sea Shepherd, a non-profit organization that protects the oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction.

The brand shares a common environmental approach and has partnered with the organization, to supply its fleet with new uniforms and then design a custom capsule collection. The project begins Monday, and is intended to encourage people to join the cause as all sales proceeds will be donated to Sea Shepherd. Priced between €180 and €890, the range will be sold retail in Sease and e-commerce stores, in addition to being available exclusively at Modes, LuisaViaRoma and The Webster.

Designed with 3D technology to reduce textile waste and improve product development, the clothing is made from plastic waste recycled from the ocean thanks to a collaboration with the Seaqual Program, which turns marine litter into a new raw material, and Maiocchi, which used Seaqual yarn to produce the fabric.

Style-wise, the collection will include T-shirts, jackets, puffer jackets, jackets, hoods, and a duffel bag, all featuring the parties’ logos as well as core values ​​or inspirational quotes from the organization. While a map showing all nautical missions has been printed on the lining of the outerwear, the QR code on each garment will enable consumers to obtain information, donate or join the community.

“It is a more modern capsule compared to the signature Sease product, and it has a different fit as well,” Franco Loro Piana said, noting also that the project will enable the brand to connect with a new audience.

Meanwhile, Loro Piana has helped explore new categories, such as the shirts that will be introduced in Sease’s flagship line this season. Other highlights will include a linen field jacket – one of the brand’s bastions – with water-repellent treatment, much to the chagrin of the businessman.

Both the Sea Shepherd capsule collection and the Sease flagship collection will be on display in the brand’s new store on Via Montenapoleone, where the brand recently moved from its previous unit in the arty Brera area.

Launched to offer multifunctional kits geared toward mountain or sea, Sease was founded in 2018, when “after selling the family business I wanted [get out there] With a brand that can narrate our Italian heritage and knowledge in a more modern context,” recalls Loro Piana, who hails from the textile family of the same name. — Sandra Salibian

Lecico Family

“We’re basically overgrown, sometimes a little dressed up and totally out of the action,” said Riccardo Scapori, a third of the creative force behind Lecico Familyari, summing up the indie brand’s aesthetic.

One of the few signs to bet on the mixed look this season, Lecico Familyari will celebrate for the first time on the official schedule of Milan Fashion Week an unusual collection, hinged on the wedding theme.

However, this approach is completely in sync with the quirky nature of the brand, which doesn’t follow any season but instead adopts experimental projects.

Founded during the pandemic and deeply rooted in sustainability, Lessico Familiare is the brainchild of Scapuri, Alberto Pettello and Alice Corti, who met each other while attending the NABA School of Fashion, Art and Design.

After taking different paths – Scapuri reckons with previous experiences as a designer at Max Mara and GCDS; Petillo is a tailor and tattoo artist, while Curti worked in Miaoran before returning to NABA as a teacher – in 2020 they decided to launch Lessico Familiare, to consider what their local environment could offer. Hence, drapes, mats, and discarded clothing were recycled to turn a “familiar dictionary” (as the brand’s name translates into English) into new pieces.

“The aesthetic is simultaneously nostalgia and intentional nostalgia. Nostalgia but in a healthy way: our inspiration is familiar and home is obvious, but we are not stuck in the past. Froufrou but not empty… Our main inspiration is not even visual but comes from Natalia Ginsburg [1963 book] “Lecico Famigliari,” said Scapuri. He added that the brand’s goal “is to keep familiar memories alive with clothing” just as the Italian author had done with words.

Developed in collaboration with artist GianMarco Porru, the upcoming collection will see a transformation of bridal pants into clothing for the newlyweds. All of the fabrics used came from Porru’s family wedding trousers, including tablecloths, curtains, and bedspreads, which were repurposed and enriched with “bows and bows” or rendered in “two-dimensional shapes where the primary element is the texture of the fabric,” Scaburri parodied. .

The collection will be presented in person on June 20 with no real exhibitors, no grandstand, and no rows. “Just brides who walk out of the bar and get married,” he added.

For the founders, a show during Milan Fashion Week is an opportunity to share the stage with established players and showcase the diversity of their brand. “We’re a project, not a brand. It was the first time we showed our pieces at the Spazio Martín gallery during an art show. Now it’s during Fashion Week, so who knows?” said Scapuri.

With prices ranging from €70 to €180, Lessico Familiare is mainly available on e-commerce, also due to its artisanal, homemade production. – SS