After a year stuck in front of our devices’ screens for anything from business meetings to Zoom parties, can the digital medium actually provide escapism? Ardusse’s designer Gaetano Colucci thinks so.
“As I entered fashion, I wanted the industry to take me seriously and so I drew inspiration from elevated subjects. This was the right time for me to express my personal idea of escapism,” he said.
Colucci’s quest for his personal and fashion Arcadia, a place filled with childhood naivety and innocence, had him — an avid gamer — thinking about video games’ characters. Their outfits served as a subtle inspiration for his charming lineup, filled with pastel-hued wardrobe staples with romantic and naïf details.
A delicate, boxy pink shirt paired with shimmering blush-colored satin shorts, their texture evoking digital glitch effects, featured a harness-style side panel, while a couple of suits crafted from crisp cotton had a single, asymmetrical lapel reminiscent of cartridge holders like those sported by Final Fantasy VII’s characters.
Knitwear had an intimate, tactile feel, including two-toned cardigans with buttons running across the back and sleeves and vests with a giant leaf on the front and crochet collars, while outerwear was sturdy and protective with tapering details.
Colucci threw some smart and commercially savvy sweatshirts and T-shirts into the mix, after recently signing with Milan-based 247 showroom. They were splashed with the bubblegum pink tag line “gentle dudes,” an expression that Colucci used to refer to his community: Gen Z Avid gamers with romantic hearts.
If only “Resident Evil” characters wore Ardusse, too.
