by MILAN — Clothing that conveys a sense of protection and shelter, that expresses a simple but conscious contemporary lifestyle and that transcends gender and seasonality: these are the core values of three emerging Italian brands that make their official debut on the Week calendar of Milan Fashion during Men’s Fashion Week. Here, a closer look at the city’s new names.
Domenico Orefice
Streetwear, sportswear and tailoring converge in the hybrid world of Neapolitan designer Domenico Orefice.
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A Polimoda graduate, he launched his eponymous label in 2022, presenting his first efforts during Pitti Uomo last June and Dubai Fashion Week in October.
Debuting at Milan Men’s Fashion Week, Orefice will present another genderless, seasonless collection, cryptically named “A1 R1 25” in a nod to mountaineering and the scales of difficulty and risk in climbing.
He said these references informed the line, which he conceived to adapt to different climates and latitudes with its focus on protective equipment. In truth, with its oversized and loose proportions, distressed effects and raw attitude, the dark-tinged line points more to a post-apocalyptic setting than to evoking hiking trips.
“The garments are intended to be a kind of shell, representing a feeling of protection and shelter: they accompany us in the world like armor but at the same time allow us to explore nature,” Orefice explained.
The designer offers as a key piece the new A1 parka, available in two different types of nylon developed by the Italian company Gruppo Cinque and which combines high performance with waterproof properties. The R1 sweater with a quilted lining, extra-long vests full of pockets and cargo pants in different lengths join the range, which also plays with layering and matte and shiny finishes.
As an emerging designer, Orefice admitted that the main challenges he is trying to overcome are developing all samples in-house, allowing him to have full control over his collection and ensuring his creative freedom, and keeping up with the fast pace of the industry. .
“That’s why I believe in annual collections and slower fashion based on pre-orders, with occasional capsule lines developed with leftover fabrics to be released throughout the year,” he said. With a retail price of between 160 euros and 3,000 euros, Domenico Orefice pieces are available in the brand’s online store.
The designer hopes that his debut in Milan will give visibility to the brand, which, in his opinion, does not have a typically Italian aesthetic, but he is confident that it will be able to gain a foothold in the national market. The presentation taking place on Friday at the Fondazione Sozzani will showcase the collection through a special installation that will highlight the contrasts between high-altitude nature, urban landscapes and digital interventions.
Noskra
Serendipity was at play when Andrea Lonigro formally introduced her men’s, but unisex, streetwear brand Noskra in 2020.
Moving to Milan from the southern Italian city of Bari to study visual merchandising at the IED fashion school amid frustration at having to struggle to chart her own path in her hometown, Lonigro discovered a penchant for create fashion instead of designing it.
Through her teacher, Bav Tailor, a fashion sustainability advocate who runs her own brand, joined StudioPuntoZero, a Milan-based company specializing in creative consulting, prototyping and manufacturing for fashion brands. .
Experimentation was part of the daily work and Lonigro relied on it, feeling a growing desire to have his own voice.
“I have always liked clothes. “I started testing and launching some clothes in 2020 and we got positive feedback, which prompted us to do it seriously,” said the brand founder. The move led to Noskra, a name that combines the Italian word for our, “nostra,” and the Russian expression for guiding light, “kenaz,” on some big international stages, the first full post-pandemic edition of Pitti Uomo in January. 2022 and Revolver in Copenhagen.
Drawing on key streetwear tropes with a functional bent, such as parkas and cargo pants, field jackets and sweaters, Noskra attempts to elevate casual dressing through high-end, sustainable fabrics, almost always certified for their eco-inclination.
“The main concept is sartorial urban fashion. I was lucky to work in the [StudioPuntoZero] workshop and train my manufacturing skills and prowess,” Lonigro said. As such, it was easier to translate his inclusive vision of streetwear, according to which the same garment can be reinvented in different ways and worn by men and women alike. Cue Noskra’s best-selling item: a side-zip pant that can be paired with a skirt.
The fall collection follows the same rulebook with oversized proportions for parkas, wide-leg mixed media pants, utilitarian bomber jackets with detachable sleeves, and bulky cargo pants with 3D pockets.
“It’s probably the most mature collection to date,” Lonigro said. “We never want to align with trends, but instead try to push our identity and ideas.”
Quite minimalist by the typically louder standards of streetwear, the collection includes a section of prints, in black and white, inspired by brutalist architecture, reflected in swirling brushstrokes. The graphics are developed in-house by Lonigro’s brother, Gianluca. They appear on shirts and cargo pants, as well as zippered jackets.
The brand makes its debut as part of the official Milan Fashion Week calendar this season, with a presentation on Monday. It will feature a digital installation by Mariano Franzetti and Nicola Pantano. A party will follow, led by musical performances, including that of Onoe Caponoe, a London-based musician.
Noskra is available at the brand’s e-commerce as well as at the 2Face Concept Store boutique in Barcelona, Spain, with prices ranging from 120 euros for the logo T-shirts to 1,300 euros for the parkas.
ViaPiave33
ViaPiave33, the brainchild of brothers Alessandro and Francesca Spaggiari with Elisa Bettella, defies definitions. Based in Milan, the multidisciplinary project launched last year currently includes clothing, accessories, as well as body care and home decoration products, all conceived with the mission of promoting a contemporary, simple but conscious lifestyle, based on a healthy relationship between nature and technology.
“We come from a more artistic background. We did not study fashion design and that is why we had to learn a lot from the people we started working with,” said Francesca Spaggiari. “But we had a clear vision from the beginning and that helped us know exactly what we wanted to say. We have always been fascinated by well-made products and objects, which is why we found in fashion a platform that allows us to express a 360-degree vision of life and distill it into a product, a style or an image.”
For fall 2024, the trio analyzed wintry landscapes and cold temperatures to explore a sense of intimacy and protection through a collection of gender-responsive casual wear. This is an evolution of previous efforts, as the founders don’t believe in adopting seasonal trends, but rather rely on wardrobe archetypes crafted from deadstock organic fabrics, updating their clean aesthetic with minor tweaks.
Bulky, comfortable volumes of outerwear and hoodies are juxtaposed with loungewear and underwear-inspired pieces, while new additions include knits handcrafted from mohair wool yarns and worked in an airy weave, which Bettella believes will adds “a sense of intimacy to a piece.” made of a fabric originally intended to cover you and keep you warm.”
The brand’s color palette, until now limited to black and white tones, has also expanded to a pale green hue obtained from a natural dyeing process, which amplifies the feeling of delicacy and comfort that the trio wanted to channel.
“As an emerging brand, challenges are our daily bread,” Bettella said of the overall creative process. “It’s not easy to put everything together and do it in an interesting way. We live in a very fast-paced digitalized world, so it is a great challenge to manage all the aspects that a contemporary brand needs. We’re trying to do it our way, trying to keep up the pace but at the same time slow down a little to focus on what really matters. “We try to find meaningful, smart solutions and deliver them in a beautiful way.”
The collection will be presented with an immersive installation at the Fondazione Sozzani on Sunday. Alessandro Spaggiari mocked the format for being “natural and simple: it will talk about nature and technology, offering a moment of distraction from the fast-paced life we all live.”
The scenography will evoke a domestic place dotted with minimalist furniture and simple elements, such as padded cotton, aluminum, moss and earth, among others. A handful of team and family members will model the collection, while a live performance from a chef will add to the showcase.
Alessandro Spaggiari stressed that staging a physical experience for the first time and in the context of Milan Fashion Week represents a great opportunity for the brand to interact with a broader and international audience.
“Our long-term goal is to grow and structure our company in a healthy and organic way… to keep design, art, humanity and craftsmanship at the center of our business” and “also find the right partners and collaborators that allow us to grow while preserving our nature,” said the co-founder.
Currently available exclusively in its online store, ViaPiave33’s varied assortment sells for between 100 and 900 euros and also includes chandeliers, technological devices and “purification kits” that include water, a bar of organic soap, a facial towel and instructions for “ reconnect to your own home.” inner self”, especially after excessive use of social media.
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