MSGM boys are good natured boys, with not a soupçon of dark side. Or at least, they keep it well hidden under the cheerful, über-positive designs concocted by Massimo Giorgetti, an equally sunny-side-up kind of guy. For him, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, even if external conditions may suggest otherwise.
Returning to a full-on men’s fashion week schedule put the designer in even more of a good mood, but the message he wanted to convey for spring was nuanced. He said that reading Michel Houellebecq’s dystopian and rather cynical novel The Possibility Of An Island made him think about the tension between the natural and the virtual, humanity and technology. How can you square dystopia and utopia? Given Giorgetti’s positive nature, he envisioned a way out, a realm of possibilities where hope and escapism reign supreme, inhabited by a posse of MSGM-clad young optimists.
To amplify his message, the location he choose for the show was a brand new glass and cement building located in an up-and-coming industrial area of Milan; it houses an Italian tech and digital company committed to sustainability practices, and it overlooks a vast expanse dotted by artworks where a pond is surrounded by greenery. “It seemed just perfect to represent what I wanted to say,” explained Giorgetti. “A place suspended between water and concrete, an apparent duality that should be somehow reconciled.”
Parading around the stretch of water and under an unmercifully hot sun, models sported looks with an escapist, carefree surfer vibe. Humongous bermudas, boxy shirts in crisp cotton or denim and ultra-sort shorts were printed with tropicalia, hibiscus, bananas and lots of marine creatures. Underwear peeked out from slouchy drawstring pajama pants, worn slightly more formally under fluid blazers with printed lapels paired with matching midriff-baring cropped shirts. Striped knits in MSGM’s eye-popping palette of brights were layered and mixed together in free-style mode.
“I see MSGM as a percolator where ideas and references blend together creating new directions,” said Giorgetti, who, having his finger on the pulse, doesn’t let himself get distracted by someone else’s narration. While he seems willing to experiment and take risks, he stays true to his honest, straightforward vision. So far, it has proved a remarkable asset.
