Rock is one of Gabriele “Bebe” Moratti’s great passions, and it’s always the core inspiration for his Redemption collections. While prepping for Pre-Fall, a great deal of Black Sabbath was on his playlist. Not necessarily an optimistic message, but who can blame him? Times aren’t calling for a lighthearted approach, and Moratti’s conscience is nagging at him. “I miss the positive, progressive social messages that rock used to convey,” he said. “Musicians like Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, Michael Stipe—their music was radical; they fought for the right causes. Today’s pop music has no gravitas, no social message. It’s just part of a world where an American president used to be a reality show star.”
Moratti believes that fashion can convey a positive message as much as music. “They’re both powerful tools to reach huge audiences,” he explained. His company is committed to sustainability and good causes; 50 percent of net revenue is apparently donated to support selected charity foundations. As for the clothes, they had a distinctive ’80s flavor; Redemption goes for a confident Parisian take on rock glam. Silhouettes were figure hugging and sleek, with slinky draped minidresses in stretchy jersey showing plenty of leg. Tailoring was offered in strong-shouldered, powerfully cut suits, the blazer often worn alone on bare skin, as in a double-breasted, leopard-print example, or over tweed ultra-miniskirts tightly wrapped with black leather buckled belts. “It’s an aristo-metal look,” said Moratti. Indeed.
While there wasn’t much range in the offering, the message was definitely reinforced loud and clear, showing admirable conviction. Animalier-print leggings worn with a jacquard lamé sweater with bell sleeves; sleek sequined tuxedos; shorter-than-short, body-con minidresses draped in multiple iterations—they all looked perfectly believable for a confident, heavy metal–loving girl-about-town. One with a social conscience.
