An industry analysis by Business of Fashion and McKinsey&Company states that the new aim of the fashion business is to be "nimble, think digital-first, and achieve ever-faster speed to market" because "some of the old norms just don't work."
Remo Ruffini, an Italian millionaire, is well aware of the new difficulties facing the sector. Since taking over as CEO and a co-owner of the upscale company Moncler in 2003, Ruffini has been working to modernize it. Moncler is known for its ski coats and high-end activewear. He reorganized the brand's supply chains and business approach from top to bottom in order to introduce a new program called Moncler Genius.
Genius - One House, Different Voices
The Moncler Genius project rejected choosing a single creative director to lead a brand when it was initially introduced during Milan Fashion Week. Instead, it promotes a very artistic strategy that involves hiring several creative directors to work for the same company and having each design their own distinct collections released on a rolling schedule.
The concept of fashion partnerships, which often only result in one-off products that are available for a brief period of time, and "drop" culture are combined in this approach where regular limited-edition items that are hyped online and released to the most loyal customers.
One of the advantages of Moncler Genius is being open to new ideas. With this approach, innovative projects and designs will occur, and the fashion sector will have a different direction every year. In this project, innovation is created by geniuses a.k.a. creative directors all around the world, ready to use their imagination.
Image Source: Moncler Genius
There are clearly advantages when it comes to the reputation of Moncler. From working with high-profile names to commercial benefits, this project upgrades the brand itself. When it comes to the designers, this is a different and unusual concept for them, thus it makes everything exciting and makes them work out of their comfort zone.
"The Art of Genius" at London Fashion Week
This year, Moncler Genius takes London Fashion Week for “The Art of Genius”, a must-see live performance that features both professional and new Moncler co-creators. With well-known co-creators pushing the frontiers of Moncler Genius to new creative heights on February 20, the luxury brand's Art of Genius event exceeded all expectations.
"In London, we showed a vision that further expanded our universe of fashion collaboration to a platform of co-creation across different industries. We have seen the coming together of diverse sectors expressing themselves and creating a language that defines a new way to experience the brand: music, design, art, entertainment, sport, and fashion have brought their unique codes and their energy together shaping memorable moments for our communities. This is Genius.”
Courtesy of Moncler.
This year’s new contributors include new partners like Louis Vuitton's creative director Pharrell, JAY-Z's Roc Nation, Salehe Bembury, Adidas Originals, Alicia Keys, and Mercedes-Benz, accompanied by longtime collaborator Rick Owens, Palm Angels, and fragment design.
The event in London Fashion Week was totally epic and iconic.
Alicia Keys played her iconic piano for Moncler’s “The Art of Genius.” Courtesy of Moncler.
Every brand had its own places to preview its collection and live in them. Since this year is also about art, music, and entertainment, one has its music production space created by Roc Nation, and performer Alicia Keys channeled the spirit of New York City with a capsule set to debut on March 23.
The sound booths in Roc Nation by Jay-Z’s installation. Courtesy of Moncler.
On the other hand, Mercedes-Benz delivered the "PROJECT MONDO G,” an ultimate discovery machine. Complete with puffy silver wheels and a huge zipper, the PROJECT MONDO G elevates Mercedes' timeless G-Class with Moncler's brand designs.
Moncler and Mercedes-Benz revealed Project Mondo G. Photo: Lukas Müller. Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.
However, when it comes to the actual collections, Pharrell created a trek-inspired collection full of earth tones, Adidas incorporated its Trefoil directly into a Moncler puffer, Salehe Bembury reworked the Trailgrip shoe from Moncler, Palm Angels went prep, Hiroshi Fujiwara based his fragment design collaboration on Japanese robot dolls called LOVOTs, and Rick Owens reiterated his signature radiance quilting next to a giant steel Sleep Pod created especially for Art of Genius.
A model and baby robot presented FRGMT’s collaboration with Moncler. Courtesy of Moncler.
Rick Owens presented futuristic Sleep Pods for “The Art of Genius.” Courtesy of Moncler.
Pharrell Williams’s contribution to “The Art of Genius.” Courtesy of Moncler.
Moncler Genius is a safe space for every creator to work on their creative side, expand their ideas, and in the meantime, develop society's perspective with their collection and work. Fashion is all about innovation, new designs, and sharing these valuable thoughts with society.
The FW23 Collection:
Image Source: Vogue Runway
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