FASHION FILMS WEEK: MILAN
KANER KIVANC
As I watched fashion shows at men’s fashion weeks, a question began to take shape in my mind: wouldn’t it be more accurate to call this period “Fashion Film Week” when fashion houses presented their collections?
The fashion shows that were previously held live with guests left their place in the post-pandemic world to short films we watched on our screens. Nowadays, when everyone surrendered to digital platforms and binge watched all the shows in the world, brands brought a new breath to our lives with their short film performances.
Tradition remained intact and Ermenegildo Zegna opened the season. In the language of Alessandro Sartori, who talked about the importance of Phygital -hybrid of physical and digital words, new marketing term- last season, this time there was the word “re-set”. The decision to play with the settings of the men’s wardrobe these days, when we’re stuck between home and office, Sartori has almost destroyed the difference between home wear and street wear. The most striking moment of Zegna’s movie is the scene where the 12 rooms specially set up for the collection appear together and we see the designer reading the newspaper in the 13th room.
I suggest you take Federico Cina, who made the opening film of the second day and introduced his fourth collection, to your close mark. I’ve already added a few pieces to my shopping list. In an empty room, the model at the collection presentation first records the piece she will wear on a voice recorder, and after putting it on, she appears in different scenes in this outfit. Although it didn’t promote the entire collection, the 3-minute short film was simple and effective.
Church’s also prepared one of the most enjoyable presentations to watch. In the movie, where an auction scene is animated, there are foot scenes that we mostly see in close details. The goal of the model, which has been running since the beginning of the film, is clear in the finale: to give the highest bid for Church’s shoes that are on sale at the auction.
I’ve always been impressed that designers not only prepare collections, but also take the bull by the horns. It was an unexpected move for Silvia Fendi to accompany the fashion show with a song composed by Not Waving. I checked Spotify and it’s not on there yet. It made me wish I could add it to my playlist. My favorite pieces in the collection are quilted designs. The best clothing for me is that the ones I can sleep comfortably in. Now, I am already ready to fall asleep with the collection Fendi prepared for the coming winter.
One of the new guests of Milan Fashion Week was Tokyo James, who was transferred from England. The designer combines Nigerian culture with British tailoring in his collection. The short film, bearing traces of the Eyo Masquerade festival, was undoubtedly one of the most impressive ones for me. The collection, named Ogidi Okunrin (strong man), draws attention with its craftsmanship as well as its modern style.
Etro is one of the brands that prefer to shoot a fashion show video instead of making a fashion film. Although short films are enjoyable, it reminded us that we miss watching fashion shows. The combination of colors in the collection, the way the patterns and pieces are put together sums up the new mood of menswear very well: casual, reckless, fun. Also pay attention to the accessories in the collection. Airpod cases and round mini bags are my favorites!
And it’s time for the most eagerly anticipated collaboration of Milan Fashion Week: Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada teamed up for the brand’s menswear collection. High expectations usually lead to frustration, but fortunately not this time! The piece that left its mark on the collection is the undergarments that appear in every texture, pattern and color. As open to experimentation as I am, as someone who likes to experience everything in my clothing, I never thought I would want to add undergarments to my style so much. Thank You, Raf! As we watch the fashion show, there are moments when the models dance. After the presentation, Miuccia and Raf’s conversation with students around the world revealed that these dances were added later, not actually planned. Influenced by the fact that the models were influenced by music and danced on their own, Raf wanted to add these scenes. By the way, it wouldn’t be nice not to mention Richie Hawtin’s name. The best fashion show music of the season came from him!
One of the best short films presented in Milan is by Han Kjøbenhavn. Hans Christian Andersen’s dystopian and romantic story The Rose Elf accompanies the designs.
Sunnei chose to promote its collection with a game on www.playsunnei.it instead of video as the outcast kid of the fashion week. Great idea, yes, but there’s a problem. I didn’t understand anything about the game. I hope I’m not the only one who didn’t get it.
I think Magliano is one of my favorite Italian brands. The brand, which has always had an interesting attitude, put forward its absurd character with a short film this season and prepared one of the most entertaining short films. I don’t wanna give spoilers, I encourage you to watch it.
The closing movie of the week belongs to Dima Leu. This season, we’ve seen a lot of fashion films with dance concepts. But the designer wanted to present this trend with his own culture. Do you think it would be fun or creepy to fall among a group of Moldovan folk dancers in a moment of hallucination? You can decide, after watching the film.
You can watch videos of all the collections presented at Milan Fashion Week, here.
