Milan men’s fashion week: Dsquared2 shows leather and Zegna goes green

Dsquared2’s Canadian twins Dean and Dann Catten
kicked off Milan men’s fashion week Friday with their label celebrating its
25th anniversary with a return to its rugged leather and denim DNA and an
appearance by disco divas Sister Sledge.

Milan Fashion Week, which takes over from London, ends on Tuesday with
heavyweight Gucci before Paris starts.

Dsquared2 brings its Canadian culture to Milan

Sister Sledge sang their 1979 disco anthem “We Are Family” as a photo
retrospective paid tribute to the work of the Catten brothers, who count
Ronaldo and Beyonce among their fans.

Their show tapped a Canadian backwoods vibe, with models dressed like
cowboys and girls in flannel plaid shirts and jackets paired with jeans or
leather pants.

The women wore mini-shorts or ultra-short corseted dresses, with pumps
and
stockings rising to the knee. Others wore oversized knitwear along with fur
and
leather.
Also on show, Ermenegildo Zegna presented a functional collection of
elegant suits in muted tones along with stylish berets and chunky bomber
jackets.

The models paraded through thousands of hanging ribbons from scrap Zegna
fabrics, an installation by artist Anne Patterson reflecting the brand’s
commitment to a more sustainable development.

Zegna’s sustainable menswear collection

“Fifty percent of this collection is made from recycled fabrics,” Zegna’s
artistic director Alessandro Sartori told AFP.
During this Fashion Week, 77 collections for the fall-winter 2020-21
season
will be presented, including 26 by fashion shows, compared to 52 in January
2018.

Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo and No. 21, who for several seasons had opted
for mixed parades during Women’s Week, decided to organise separate shows
again and return to the men’s calendar.
Instead of ending on Monday evening, Milan will extend the festivities
until Tuesday noon.

“The separate fashion shows and the longer week bear witness to the fact
that the world of men’s clothing and accessories is growing,” Stefania
Saviolo, director of the fashion centre at Bocconi University in Milan, told
AFP, and consequently “needs more visibility”.

She suggested the sector has seen the emergence and development of new
brands against a background of innovation, which has seen designers use
elements of formal clothing to inspire increasingly popular informal items,
such as street and sportswear, down jackets, sneakers and technical
clothing.

According to Euromonitor International, global turnover for men’s fashion
rose 4.5 percent in 2019, slightly more than women’s fashion, which was up
4.3
percent.

Among the other heavyweights present during Fashion Week are Armani,
Dolce
& Gabbana, who as usual show outside the calendar, Fendi and Prada, who
return
after a stopover in Shanghai.

Against the trend, Versace will be absent, having opted for a mixed
fashion
show in February during Women’s Week.(AFP)

Photo: Dsquared2 AW20/21, catwalkpictures.