James Long, Iceberg’s creative director, decided to stage his coed Fall collection in the streets of Milan. Unafraid of the rain (“I’m from London, we know rain,” he declared), he had the performance start with an impromptu open-air catwalk show chez Il Salumaio, possibly the poshest restaurant of Milan’s so-called Quadrilatero della Moda, one of the world’s most expensive stretches of retail space. Then, the fashion brigade ventured down Via Montenapoleone, later touching Milanese tourist milestones like Piazza Duomo, and ending in the historical Piazza Castello. People along the way went crazy. “When I was planning the event, I thought: [This] could be the start or the end of my career,” mused the designer. No need to worry; it was a success.
Long has brought London’s punky vibe to Iceberg; he’s reworking the label’s logos and cartoon imagery—Mickey Mouse, Wile E. Coyote, and Road Runner included—injecting his explosive mash-up aesthetic into sporty-inspired staples. Intarsia multi-logo jackets and parkas, often rubberized or coated with a plasticized layer, had oversize proportions. A touch of reworked, patch-worked, and hybridized knitwear was a sort of fil rouge of the collection. It was added to everything from biker jackets to chunky sweaters.
The irreverent spirit the designer is bringing about was apparent in a massive nylon parka, where an attached intarsia-knit blanket had a rave feel to it, while an Aran sweater looked as if it had been shredded to pieces and then resuscitated in a new incarnation, mixed with paillettes, Lurex, and chenille, then glossed with a shiny lacquered coating. It looked pretty great.
