Men’s Collections Explore New Horizons

Men’s season was full of ethnic vibes and attention to artisanal elements. Here are a few events and brands that stuck with us around Milan and at Pitti Uomo.

 

CONSTELLATION AFRICA (Courtesy Photos)

Guest nation – or continent rather – this season at Pitti Uomo, was Constellation Africa. Organized with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, brands like Dent de Man, MaXhosa by Laduma, Orange Culture, and Projecto Mental brought their narratives and tribal traditions from South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Angola to the Florentine public through their clothes, their fabrics, and their life stories.

“The prints from my collections were made by me and were inspired by a fisherman in Lagos, as well as by the sunsets in Lagos,” said Nigerian Adebayo Oke-Lawal of ORANGE CULTURE, whose collection was full of organza silk, cashmere blends, and sporty mesh.

LOUIS LEEMAN (Photos by Anna Palermo)

 

Louis Leeman and Erica Pelosini are the IT couple behind the Florence-based brand coveted by stars like Jared Leto and the Rolling Stones. In only four years, they have garnered international coverage and recently opened a mono-brand store in New York City on Madison Avenue.

 

CAMBIAGHI (Photos by Salvo Sportato)

Matteo Perego di Cremnago is the great great grandson of the founder of Cambiaghi, a Northern Italy-based brand started in 1880. For spring summer 2016 the brand infused a South American twist – beaded ribbons – to get us ready for summer.

MAKSTERS (Photos by Silio Danti)

 

London and Paris-based, the Makki brothers, are riding the loafer craze in full force. They pride themselves on innovative fabrics and artisanal excellence. They are greatly inspired by the Victorian-Era and the monarch’s husband, Prince Albert, but for summer spring, they also infused some ethnic details and cartoonish prints to tone down their serious side.

 

DEL TORO (Photos by Salvo Sportato)

Matthew Chevallard is based in Miami, but makes his shoes in the Le Marche region of Italy. In tune with Pitti’s focus on Africa, Chevallard was inspired by Kente prints and accents from from Kenya and Mali. “We have been working on accentuating the traveler theme and expand our horizons,” Chevallard said

K3 (Photos by Silio Danti)

 

K3, a division of Foval sunglasses, distinguishes themselves with their finishings: marble, stone, lava, river and earth are all unique textures that are hand engraved into their sunglasses. The Treviso-based label made its first real debut at New York’s Vision Expo East before heading to Pitti last week.

 

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: BACO STYLE: Erica Pelosini and Louis Leeman, White Milan: Where Trends Don’t Apply , Unexpected Finds at Pitti, BACO STYLE: Mickael Francois Loir of Le Loir en Papillon,  Decoding Pitti Style, Men’s Collections Explore New Horizons