Omicron robbed Milan Fashion Week of a proper, Berlin-style rave courtesy of Max Kobosil, the techno artist behind the fledgling 44 Label Group fashion line.
But while he scrapped the after party, and live runway, he summoned the same raw, industrial-tinged energy with a film that depicts models storming through a dark, concrete warehouse to a driving new Kobosil track.
“We are moving beyond clubwear,” Kobosil said of his outerwear-heavy sophomore collection, his first shown on the official schedule since launching 44 last year with Italian retailer and entrepreneur Claudio Antonioli. Indeed, his versions of the puffer, parka and bomber jacket balanced fierceness with finesse, exuding luxury as well as an edgy cool.
The collection enticed with its tough, futuristic sheen and inventive graphics, many of them engineered by Kobosil. For one, he visited a tool market, handpicked a variety of screws, arranged them in a heart shape and photographed them.
According to the DJ and producer, his followers respond to storytelling — the more personal the better. And so he lays bare the fact that he disliked school and basically sucked at it, splashing one of his poor grades across one T-shirt.
But the overall vibe of the collection is turning the negative into positive. Kobosil noted that he played 17 gigs in November, which dwindled to five in December and zero in January as Omicron’s global wrath gathered steam. So he sought solace in his new fashion sideline, saying, “I do it with the same love and energy as music.”
