London-based Jordan Bowen and Luca Marchetto are relative newcomers to the Milan scene and are trying to get their message to come across, insisting for spring on the punk-tinged tropes that have defined their nascent career.
“It’s really a fusion, a cultural clash of Italy’s heritage and London’s counterculture,” said Bowen backstage preshow.
One must say, the latter reference was predominant. Boxy and padded sculptural shouldered blazers came with zippers crossing the chest; worn over baggy Bermudas, they were the punk-ish version of a suit; oversized trenchcoats and flight jackets were also sliced open with zippering and paired with flared, raw-hemmed, low-rise denim exuding a mischievous bent, while leather pieces such as croc-embossed pants and trenchcoats had an exciting dark tinge.
Backstage, Bowen insisted that the brand’s aesthetic is very much in tune with the designers’ often clashing emotions, and described fashion creativity as cathartic, especially as it helped both go through a period of substance abuse. The collection is “wistful, it has anger and rage, but there’s also joy…we can be everything at once,” he said.
The last model, his cunning gaze and gait intimidating yet somewhat captivating, wore a simple all-black sleeveless top and flared denim combo. It marked a much-needed moment of relief from the show’s extravaganza.
