Full review of the exclusive Moncler Genius MFW event Presenting the upcoming collections and new designers
Last night in Milan, an event took place the anticipation of which has only been surpassed by the mammoth feat of putting it on. It was time for Moncler’s Genius - One house, Different voices event. Taking place in the cavernous tunnel chambers running adjacently underneath the central station, a restoration project that Moncler’s CEO Remo Ruffini has personally been involved in bringing to life together with the county of Milan. Redeveloping the over 40 thousand square meters of Raccordati Warehouse spaces, which have held a rich historical and cultural value to an area that in the past played a key role in the urban development of Milan. The project has brought new life into a neglected area that last night arose from its chrysalis to spread its newly developed wings in the sign of Moncler.
It is a 5-minute walk from the train stations epicenter walking parallel to the train tracks, with the first indication being a faint yellow light, that as one approaches becomes the epic Moncler Genius monolith that has functioned as a guiding beacon in the social media campaigns leading up to the event. The Moncler Genius project which was inaugurated almost exactly a year ago has been a very innovative and fresh wind blowing through Moncler. Discarding the paradigms of the past, Moncler took on no less than 7 contemporary designers to create a unique capsule each for their individuals visions of Moncler. Dropping in a manner more closely related to streetwear brands with a new collection coming to market ever 3-4 weeks. Among the first group of selected designers were visionaries and radicals alike, among them Hiroshi Fujiwara, Craig Green, Simone Rocha, Kei Ninomiya, and Palm Angels, along with the in-house collections Grenoble and 1952. Just before the year's end, Moncler started whispering about the continuation of the Genius project that has now seen the confirmed additions of Matthew Williams and Richard Quinn. Quinn who’s a rising star within the new generation of British designers, and William’s that with his own 1017 ALYX 9SM brand, coupled with the work he’s done in collaboration with Kim Jones for Dior and the technical training line at Nike, has seen him rise to a point where its hard to think of any designer that’s currently hotter, and admittedly who we’re most excited about seeing on the evening.
Once passing the welcoming Moncler monolith the sheer magnitude of the event scale starts to dawn on you. Fire-born torches aline a massive walkway which runs along a dozen or so bunker like chamber vaults that go in underneath the train tracks above, with every vault containing a specially designed art installation dedicated to each of the Moncler Genius designers. When entering, it's more like stepping into a complete little immersive world where the presented collections feel like characters one would meet along the way.
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In the next room, we literally entered a birch tree forest, into the world of Simone Rocha. The mirrored walls gave the forest an endless depth that felt like one could easily get lost in this world forever. The pieces were presented through Red Riding Hood like figures that with their romantic forms and voluminous silhouettes gave hope to this slightly menacing place.
MONCLER & POLDO DOG COUTURE
A bit of lightheartedness then followed when we entered the Poldo Dog Couture room. For the canine that has everything, why not go all out by adding a mini Moncler vest to the rotation. The room felt like stepping into a cartoon world with a Simpson-esk supermarket storefront and large pixelated sculptures of trees and shopping carts in bright primary colors.
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Last but certainly not least, we return to where things once started, when we at the inaugural Genius collection in Florence last year, had the chance to sit down and talk with the legend, Hiroshi Fujiwara. His Fragment collection was presented in a room where projections filled almost every available surface from the ceiling to the floor. The visuals made the room breath while immersing you in other worlds. The collection continued Fujiwara’s vintage urban mix aesthetic with bomber jackets and parkas in military green styles.
When looking at such an impressive presentation in its entirety it really is quite hard not to be overwhelmed by an event such as Moncler’s. In a time wherein all honesty Milan, like most fashion weeks outside of Paris' are in decline, Moncler, by going that extra mile, creating mind-blowing art events instead of catwalks presentations that are over before they even start, by reinvesting in the city of Milan, and taking on brave concepts and designers like the Moncler Genius project does, one can only tip one's hat and say bravissimo. With their slogan of One house, Different Voices, we must conclude that Moncler Genius is a house and voice that is speaking more brightly and clearly than almost any other at the moment.
