Stand down, Milan. At the start of February, it was the turn of Italy’s lesser-known fashion week, Altaroma – celebrated at Rome’s spectacular Cinecittà Studios – to present its pick of independent brands and emerging designers.
Across three days and presided over by Silvia Venturini Fendi, Rome Fashion Week drew 76,000 spectators and 90 labels. While Milanese talent was heavily represented, designers from smaller creative centres – like Torino, Pisa, Naples, Venice, Bergamo and Rome – were out in force.
“Altaroma has undergone a major transformation and I think the event and the city itself can increasingly be considered as the cradle of new ideas, innovation and start-ups,” says Fendi.
Indeed, sustainability and innovation were the core values of most labels, with over 70 percent touting green production. Diversity was another cornerstone, with over 80 percent of brands founded or directed by women, and many making use of local or indigenous resources and talent.
Image Courtesy of Casa Preti
Neurotic blends and punk perspectives
On the runway, collections seethed with a sense of rebirth – perhaps as Italy’s corona restrictions were just a few days from being axed. Neurotic blends of fabric and shapes prevailed, with many looks giving chaos-at-the-sewing-machine energy.
That said, this is Italy and perfectionistic tailoring was never truly out of sight. The effect was a tug-of-war between tradition and the underground, which gave space to punk perspectives on the Italian fashion landscape.
SLEEK went along to find Rome’s most exciting emerging talents.
Image Courtesy of Simon Cracker
Simon Cracker
Genderless Milanese label, Simon Cracker, was a runway highlight. The SS22 collection – a meditation on conventional femininity – is entirely upcycled, and sustainability is at the heart of every design.
“I stared with the wedding dress – the most meaningful garment in a woman’s life,” says founder and designer, Simone Botte. “Then, following the narrative of the brand, the garments are destroyed and rebuilt in a brutal, yet paradoxically delicate way.”
Simon Cracker’s runway was a collage of wedding-dress offcuts – snowy tulle, lace and intricate embroidery – stitched into technical garments, masculine suits and oversized knits.
The Jekyll and Hyde clash of ceremonial white fabric and genre-dodging silhouettes took a stab at the idea of gatekeeping femininity – but not without playfulness: each look was paired with hot-pink platforms.
“The idea of the feminine has been abused as a marketing strategy,” explains Botte. “I rebuild the feminine – bringing it back to life.”
Image Courtesy of Casa Preti
Casa Preti
Another standout was ‘Innocenza’ – the latest collection by Palermo label, Casa Preti. FW22 was a parade of oily latex, headscarves, matte-black quilting and techno-club stompers, adhering to a lean, four-tone colour palette.
“White: clean, innoncent, pure. Red: powerful, naive, impulsive. Black: abysmal, intense, impenetrable, unblinking. These colours represent the essence of innocence,” explain the founders, Mattia Preti and Steve Gallay.
But Casa Preti gave glam in equal measures: a body-swamping faux-fur jacket in psychedelic shades of violet à la Icelandic artist, Shoplifter; floor-sweeping skirts; oversized don’t-talk-to-me shades; and a Balenciaga-esque quilted puffer with a train.
“We told the models “be yourself, dance on the runway, feel the music,” says Preti. “I want people to feel good in Casa Preti – to be able to live it.”
Image Courtesy of John Zucca
John Zucca
Taiwanese designer Zohn Zucca also struck a chord in his eponymous Milan-based label. The FW22 capsule, Future Skin, paired translucent hooded jackets with mashup garments that recycled sleeves as pockets and jeans as skirts in tones of baby pink and blue.
“I took inspiration from an imagined future, breaking with patriarchy, gender bias and hierarchy,” says Zucca, whose models walked to tracks by Taiwanese indigenous singer-songwriter, Abao.
Image Courtesy of Edoardo Gallorini
Image Courtesy of Gams Note
Runway Mentions
Meanwhile, It seemed Venetian designer Edoardo Gallorini was pining for the end of social restrictions in Italy with his collection ‘Show Girls’ – which saw a rainbow of feather boas and trims bursting from the cuffs and necklines of svelte, skin-tight dresses.
Another Venetian label, Gams Note, brought paperboy energy with bookish brogues, ankle-swingers, workman’s jackets and buttoned-up collars.
Silted Company, from the small coastal city of Forli, complemented nicely with a surf-inspired homage to youth that pitched everything from suits to sandals and pinstripes to tie-dye.
Image Courtesy of Silted Company
Image Courtesy of Lorenzo Seghezzi
Showcase Highlight
Away from the runway, the Showcase exhibited over 80 guest brands across three days. A highlight was the emerging Milanese designer, Lorenzo Seghezzi, whose self-titled ‘queer fashion’ is a call-to-arms in support of LGBTQ+ rights.
“Every piece of clothing aims to be a social, cultural and political statement against the abuses that the LGBTQ+ community endures every day,” they explain. “I’m mostly inspired by queer history and people.”
Seghezzi’s work includes detailed corsetry, tartan-print skirts, waistcoats and sheer, printed garments – but the most offbeat is the range of fez-shaped headwear featuring buckles, straps and metal hoops.
The hats celebrate a neighbourhood in Milan which is shared by the east-African and queer communities. “It’s beautiful to see those two very different cultures supporting each other. The designs are a homage to and a mix of East-African dress and aesthetic, and queer underground aesthetic – which is my own,” explains Seghezzi.