“There’s lot of myself in this collection,” said Massimo Giorgetti during a showroom appointment. “My love for art, the passion I have for music, my memories of the ’90s.” Plastered on his MSGM resort moodboard were images of the Giorgetti’s latest obsessions: the pale lilac record sleeve of Mazzy Star’s 1993 hit “Fade into You,” a Gabriel Orozco ripped tapestry collage, dripping hearts painted by Jim Dine, and flat-colored geometric diamond patterns made by the Italian artist Paolo Gonzato. “I mixed them all together with the help of Nirvana’s Come as You Are soundtrack,” he added.
Giorgetti is actively engaged in Italy’s young art scene; beyond being an eager collector, (he recently commissioned a monumental piece by Duccio Maria Gambi for the garden of his Alpine chalet), he’s one of the founding members of Ordet, a space located in his former atelier which has become a lively contemporary art gallery. “It’s nourishment for my mind and soul,” he said. He also keeps steering MSGM towards a value-driven, community-centered mindset; he’s seriously pushing the company on sustainable practices; social responsibility is a given.
“I’m thinking about a new spring, but no glamour, just the pleasure of resuming a lively social life, meeting friends, a fresh energy,” he said. Giorgetti poured those feelings into the collection, which is full of sun-streaked solid colors, exposed skin, and relaxed looks in spirit-lifting artsy prints. As per the moodboard, Jim Dine’s hearts were translated in cut-outs on oversized skater shirts, form-fitting ribbed tees, and roomy dusters, or were tie-dyed on second-skin stretchy turtlenecks worn under off-the-shoulder bandeau tops. Orozco’s painterly assemblages of antique tapestries were twisted into a trippy floral motif, printed on a jersey dress draped around a big white heart patched on its front. The geometric diamond patterns from Gonzato’s paintings and ceramic works alternated with small-scale floral motifs on ruched cotton blouses or on quilted sweats and surf shorts. The usually rather cloying lilac hue was given an acidic neon treatment and looked fresh on a frilly poet blouse.
MSGM’s social media reach and customer base are quite broad, which makes it an ideal candidate for collaborations. Recently a partnership with the sportswear brand Fila produced an offer of tennis clothing, worn by four Fila-sponsored athletes competing at Roland Garros. The sporty feel trickled down in the collection but was elevated and polished; a good example was a tracksuit in sleek, fluid red cady with white inserts. Treated as if it were an upscale wardrobe option and stripped of any at-home or at-the-gym sloppiness, it actually looked elegant.
