Filippo Grazioli arrived at the walk-through of his latest effort for Missoni with a big white folder under his arm: Inside, printouts of all the looks he designed so far for the brand, divided per collection. Apparently, he often lines them up and looks at them as a sort of reminder of the evolution of his creative journey so far.
What stands out at first glance during this exercise are the chromatic punches Grazioli has relied on to mark each season, starting with his seminal collection mainly hinged on black-and-white and primary yellow, blue and pink shades. Fast-forward 10 months, sorbet colors and hues inspired by makeup, as the designer put it, have infiltrated his reinterpretation of the label.
In conjunction with his work on simplifying silhouettes, the color palette cast a light and fresh mood that fit with Grazioli’s mission of rejuvenating the Missoni codes and make them appealing for today as well as new customers.
While remaining within the perimeter of the brand’s signature elements, Grazioli found some tweaks to convey a more youthful energy, like playing with the juxtaposition of micro and macro patterns with the aim to prove that the brand “can deliver total looks and doesn’t work just as separates.”
Already introduced in his fall 2023 collection, drawstrings and ruches on body-hugging dresses and tops still proved to be a simple and nice way to subtly morph the perception of familiar zigzag motifs, add further dynamism to the looks and create openings and cutouts that revealed the skin.
Bias-cut dresses, fringed knit frocks and asymmetrical hems amplified the visual impact, which was enhanced by different textures, ranging from shiny satin inserts and Lurex threads in knits to airy chiffon in eveningwear. Transparent sequins applied on denim pants in a zigzag pattern offered another appealing way to approach the brand and restate its codes far from its famous knitwear.
Building on the same direction, the flame-like fiammato pattern was rendered in tonal shades on daily pieces, such as trenchcoats and roomy pants, to complement more party-ready frocks with lace inserts.
“Missoni is the house of texture and color,” Grazioli said. That is precisely why the brand could easily branch out and turn the palette of makeup-inspired shades into actual cosmetic products, too.
