Top e flop della Milan Fashion Week SS21 Cosa ha funzionato e cosa non ha funzionato nella fashion week appena conclusasi
This season in Milan, Fashion Week was once again one of a kind in the way things were structured in the face of the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The unique circumstances made it difficult for all designers to produce a collection in the era of social distancing, a fact that even Miuccia admitted in her post show talk with co-creative director Raf Simons. Things weren’t entirely digital as they were last season , nor were they completely back to normal with physical shows. Brands found themselves in a strange limbo between hosting digital shows, presentations and socially distanced fashion shows. The results of which ranged from those who handled the challenge with ease and presented marvellous collections and riveting productions regardless of their restrictions, to those who were upstaged and either went unnoticed for not doing enough , or were noted for doing it badly. Here’s a roundup of the top and flops of Milan Fashion Week SS21
TOP
Prada SS21 – The Show of the Season
Creative Director Francesco Riso is very much somewhat of a creative genius. This season for Marni he asked 48 people from all across the world to be filmed by their loved ones in their local habitats. This resulted in a moving film compiled of all these videos presented live on the brand’s site. It began with live-streams of these people doing whatever they wanted for an hour and then moved into the filmed which managed to be quite an emotional piece of artwork in the way it was conceived and constructed. We got to see pieces of Marni’s new collection against the backdrops of New York, Milan, Paris , Tokyo and other cities all together which is an opportunity that not many other creative directors would be able to pull off. The fashion was also classic Marni with deconstructed , reconstructed pieces and bright colour palettes. Although it was a collection of cohesive pieces , each look seemingly told a different story based on the context of the city it was in, and the person it was on, which gave the collection a lot of character and life.
Act No. 1 – Multiculturalism in a box
One of the younger brands to pull off quite an interesting digital presentation was Act No.1 . The Milan based brand presented a video that was shot and curated around the concept of a glass box as a representation of multiculturalism, with the idea of showcasing different sides of people, from the inside looking out. The collection itself was sharp and included interesting tailor, but could have also used some editing , but the concept and performance was riveting. It featured a lineup of different performances, from drag queens, to dancers, and violinists. Although Act NO.1 is in no way new to the Milan Fashion Week calendar, this season, the brand surely made themselves heard with this digital presentation.
We Are Made In Italy - Milan’s Official introduction to Diversity
For the first time this season, Camera della Moda collaborated with the only prominent Afro-Italian designer Stella Jean and American Milan based designer Edward Buchanan, to help highlight the work of 5 up and coming black Italian based designers . This was showcased in a video presentation entitled We Are Made In Italy which was monumental in terms of representation in the Italian fashion industry. Although we didn’t get the chance to witness entire collections from each designer, it was a very effective beginning in the journey of recognising and training minority talents within the local industry.
FLOP
Dolce & Gabbana SS21 – Another colourful collection
Although there were a few physical shows , one of the things that was evidently missing was the seasonal streetstyle. There were a few shows with audience members who were in normal fashion week attire, but for the most part a lot of guests were either missing or wearing looks that were understandably relaxed. September being the biggest fashion season of the year, it was sad to see the scarcity of people and fashion witnessed in street style.
