A showroom visit with Redemption founder Gabriele Moratti always devolves into a history lesson of sorts—or, more aptly, a manifesto on recent history and current events. The label’s founder is, understandably, fairly hopped up about the state of the world (see his Mayor Pete T-shirts), but he’s determined to make a difference in the conversation.
If Redemption has a serious following, it’s largely due to the success of the theory that, as Moratti puts it, “one good solid red carpet is worth a thousand advertising pages.” To wit, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Gabrielle Union have all recently made high-profile outings.
This Resort and the upcoming couture collection are particularly close to Moratti’s heart because their inspirations are rooted in heavy metal, one of his favorite music genres. “It’s a message I want to give, because it’s what I’m going through,” he offered, segueing into a digression on World War I, Trump, North Korea, Justice Kavanaugh, and Metallica. “I think and hope the night is darkest before the dawn,” he said.
On the other side of dark, Moratti is focusing on a wave of youth, music, the force of protest against a system, and positive change. The message of this collection is “We can do something to change the world.” That might be through shifting entirely to vegan leather and diving deep into research on how to make it without plastic (from mushrooms and wine byproducts). It might be by keeping production 100 percent local, in Italy. And it is definitely by checking the boxes on what works well for the Coachella set (short shorts, low boots, flowy printed chiffon top; long dress with prairie belt), while working in more tailored pieces alongside glammed-up ’80s-inspired eveningwear.
Though Redemption is not yet profitable enough to fulfill Moratti’s dream of allocating 50 percent of it profits for charity, he is clearly committed to seeing his vision through. Maybe the opening of a new 5,000-square-foot flagship in New York this fall will help push things further in the right direction.
