For the launch of Piazza Sempione’s Spring collection, the label again embraced a collaboration with the art world, tapping Rä di Martino, a talented Italian video artist whose emotional yet elegant visual language has been widely acclaimed. She was commissioned to make a short film, called A Day of Wonder, shot in Marrakech and inspired by the cult movie Cat People, a 1942 film noir depicting an exotic atmosphere full of danger and mystery.
Di Martino captured the sensuality of a lush Moroccan walled garden, where a beautiful woman was lounging poolside. Obviously she was clad in a Piazza Sempione cotton kaftan—which she ditched pronto when, after fluctuating lazily between dreams and reality and upon hearing a terrifying roar, she jumped hurriedly into the pool for safety. There she was surrounded by a surreal play of lights reflected on the water like a deceitful net. The finale revealed the illusory nature of her fears—as well as the Moroccan inspiration of a collection which, in an abundant stream ofreferences, also mentioned a novel by the Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun.
Ideas from North African garb were translated into clean lines and comfortable shapes in a lineup where tunics, capes and elongated dresses had an easy, casual feel, yet were elegant in their fluid simplicity. Colors were warm and natural; micro geometric patterns were inspired by zelliges, the traditional colorful tiles adorning the walls of mosques and palaces. They also served as the starting point for the digital work of artist Najia Mehadji, whose pulsating images of flowers were reworked on printed silk, poplin, and duchesse.
