Pitti Uomo 99 Launches the Second Edition of Sustainable Style
After the success of the first edition this past summer, Pitti Uomo 99 launches Sustainable Style #2, the second stage of the special project curated by fashion journalist and talent scouter Giorgia Cantarini. The aim of this project is to challenge the status quo of contemporary fashion and promote quality, sustainable pieces that are built to last. “We need to educate to subvert the idea that a responsible brand is not noteworthy. The eye is drawn to what it likes, so the design has to be interesting. I don't think the world can change overnight; it changes step by step. Sustainability is the only way not to destroy the planet and our future. It is pointless to ignore it,” explains curator Cantarini.
Emerging designers and brands from all over the world are at the forefront of creating sustainable menswear. Some of these labels already excel at combining their aesthetic with environmentally conscious materials, but for others, it will be their first foray into conscious fashion. The talent featured in this showcase include international names such as DNI, Luca Kemkes, Flavia La Rocca, Ksenia Schnaider, KidsofBrokenFuture, Nous Etudions, Myar, Philip Huang, Raeburn, Reamerei, SS Daley, Uniform Paris, Vitelli, Yatay, and Young N Sang.
The collections of these 15 brands will be shown alongside special presentations, meetings, and events that will all be housed on the digital platform Pitti Connect, which can be found at Pitti Imagine Uomo's website. In addition to this virtual programming, there will also be an immersive film by artist Alberto Maria Colombo available on the Pitti website beginning February 22, 2021.
The mini-movie presents the most significant looks of the second edition of Sustainable Style. Entitled "Wonderwall," as an homage to Joe Massot’s psychedelic 1968 film, the footage leverages technology and artificial intelligence to create dreamlike imagery. Viewers can experience surreal motion graphics and unique soundscapes while models pose and dance around in fashion-forward, sustainable looks.
Another sustainable brand to watch is Phipps International, which was recently named the winner of the REDA x Sustainable Style award. REDA, a Biella-based company founded in 1865, is known for its production of sustainable merino wool. Spencer Phipps, the designer behind Phipps International, is creating a capsule collection for Rewoolution, REDA’s merino wool activewear brand. In other collaboration news, Venetian textile company Bonotto, part of the Zegna Group, will select five talented designers and produce limited edition collections for Bonotto x Sustainable Style.
Cantorini’s ideas about sustainability are clearly shared by many; in the future, all fashion should be responsible fashion.