Oh and the peacock feathered suit was killer. See it, and our other favorite looks from backstage at the presentation, below.
The Metropolis bag itself, a classic, has been tweaked in the Remix, given a softened bow shape that blends femme with edge in an array of colors, and is available at the Furla Duomo flagship in Milan. office sat down with the President of Furla Giovanna Furlanetto to discuss the brand's approach to Milan Fashion week, forward movment, and remixes.
This season feels very fresh. In which ways have you been working towards bringing new energy to the brand?
Furla’s new strategy is about giving a shake to the brand with unexpected campaigns and a fresh connection between Furla and music. With Metropolis Remix Furla celebrates this new connection, and it fosters a more equitable opportunity for women in the music scene.
What inspired the re-vamp of your classic bag? What makes it unique compared to other accessories on the market?
Metropolis Remix is a celebration of the return of our iconic Metropolis Bag. It is a limited-edition bag, with only 2022 pieces available. It is a bag with a purpose... Furla’s new fresh strategy reflects also on the new collections. Starting this season, Furla will add to the new collections new Metropolis bags in different material, different colors. Metropolis Remix is the first drop of this comeback. It has a peculiar shape that evokes a bow, while it stays true to the iconic closure of Metropolis.
How does the brand hold on to what it has always done right? What made Furla such an iconic fashion house, while pushing this collection to be as current as possible?
Being one of the few brands with more than 90 years of history and a distinctly Italian DNA, Furla stands first and foremost, for its authentic, high-quality products. While Furla has preserved its strong identity, it never stopped to investigate the future and embracing innovation. Furla focuses on the new generations: Young Millennials and Gen Z to preserve the long-term relevance of the brand.
What sets Furla apart from other brands showcasing in Milan?
Furla is not only celebrating the launch of the new Metropolis Remix. Furla is celebrating women, standing against the gender gap in the music industry.
Why is She is The Music good fit for Furla?
Furla has long been a company nourished under the leadership and hard work of strong and inspirational women who make up almost 80% of its employees with different backgrounds. Partnering with She is the Music was only natural as both parties have a common ambition: supporting women in creative industries.
Bauer 101, the core collection of Bauer X, catapults hockey attire on the streetwear map. As the majority of the pieces remain monochrome adorned with yellow graphics, Bauer X wants to highlight hockey references intertwined with street style facets to attract a certain audience — streetwear addicts. Known for their recognizable tags, graffiti collective and streetwear brand IRAK adds to the heritage look of hockey attire — an unmatched blend of sports x graffiti culture. Contrasting to the black and white main collection, Bauer X also features a classic hockey jersey emblazoned with a red "Rackers" typeface that chiefly caters to New York Rangers admirers.
The collection is composed of on and off-ice pieces including hats, long sleeves, hoodies, and t-shirts, as well as, socks, pens, and stickers. As Bauer X wants to set foot into the streetwear scene, more capsules and drops are yet to come.
Desmond Hughes and DJ Smedley of the Bauer Design team gave us some exclusice comments on process, decision making, and hockey culture.
Bauer is actually a Canadian heritage brand for hockey gear and apparel. Is tapping into streetwear something you want to expand in?
Having reigned supreme for nearly 100 years within the hockey space, we (Bauer) have attracted one type of audience. Coincidentally, hockey has remained untouched within the streetwear space. In an effort to expand the knowledge and appreciation of hockey as a cultural phenomenon, we are looking to pave the way for hockey’s integration into streetwear and vice versa.
The core collection of Bauer X, the little sister of Bauer, is called Bauer 101. Why did you choose to name it like that?
We decided to title this collection Bauer 101 as we viewed it serving as a convergence point of two worlds; streetwear and hockey. Strategically timed as a nod to the Back to School pathos, the release highlights each individual piece as a concept representing Bauer’s history, rooted in informal areas of education- the streets.
The capsule was inspired by the so-called school of hard knocks - the school of New York. How does Hockey play into the New York street culture?
The adjacency of hockey and NYC can be found at the root of both experiences. Synonymous with toughness, resilience and poetic harmony; both hockey and New York City street culture continue to provide a raw landscape of expression through legacy and creativity.
Solidarity, comradery, friendship, and community are vital concepts for sports, and especially victorious teams. How did you try to convey that in the collection?
In our campaign the goal was to encapsulate crew love and communicate all of those concepts that not only can be found in sport but also within friendship.
By collaborating with a Graffiti collective, the capsule also sheds a light on underbelly culture. What does it mean for Bauer X to work with IRAK? How did they influence the look of the collection?
Being afforded the opportunity to work with IRAK, our aspiration was to make sure we were not only representing the collective with respect and admiration but also the environment that helped shape it. Stalwarts not only in NYC but in the greater creative arena, we looked to construct a collection that acts as an ode to team identity; playing off IRAK’s design language and history.
The collection will drop on Friday, the 23rd of September.
The two co-creators are known for pushing the boundaries, but this collection went one step further by completely defying the brand’s normative prints, textiles, and themes. Paying homage to both of their Caribbean backgrounds, while also aptly emphasizing the need to protect fragile coastal environments, the collection was rife with lush, airbrushed prints and fluorescent tones. The brand’s signature embroidered denim usually displays intricate stained glass motifs and Biblical references, but this time around, Ev joined forces with Levi’s to incorporate a new spin on beloved WDW classics.
Ev and Levi’s were able to create five exclusive denim pieces that represent the continual, ever-evolving narrative of the brand and the whimsical, yet intentionally layered, meaning behind the SS23 collection. Levi’s ethos was pointedly woven in as well, as each piece is made from upcycled Levi’s denim. The capsule includes two trucker hats and three pairs of 501 jeans like you’ve never seen them before.
Each reworked garment will launch September 23 on NTWRK, and all proceeds will go toward the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. “We wanted to design from a place where we were looking into ourselves, but also touch on issues in subtle ways,” Ev reflected.
You’ve never seen denim look so good. Check out the capsule, instilled with all the tropical vibes, below.
