“It might not be much, but a window that opens onto the street is all I need,” said Arthur Arbesser. He’s always been obsessed with windows, watching life unfold through the glass when the lights turn on at night. The place where he presented his spring 2025 collection felt like a small white box, with synthetic grass replaced tiles on the floor. But an unnoticeable door on the other side of the shop window opened into an unexpected dimension that felt intimate yet communal. That space led to the back entrance of the studio of Turi Simeti, one of the most influential Italian artists of the 20th century, a master of abstractionism who transformed the simple oval into his own language.
“Magic often comes from things that seem very small. This collection was born while looking around us: it’s always surprising to discover that what surrounds us can turn into an emotional fabric on which to build something,” said Arbesser. The hands of Francesco, one of his interns, became the starting point for an aesthetic exploration of everyday symbols. When giving flowers or writing postcards thoughts become gestures through hands, and Arbesser transformed those gestures into a collage print, a recurring motif in the collection. Along with Post-it notes, bar wall tiles, and checkered napkins, they reflected a reduction of the unnecessary to explore simplicity. “Fashion has become an industry where numbers and size seem to be the things that matter most, but to us small feels right, small feels wise,” said the designer.
There were fabric remnants dyed orange in the studio shower, taffeta translated into easy-to-wear pieces, and old photos of animals turned into psychedelic prints. But also poker chips bought at flea markets used as jewelry and sculptural hats drawn with an irregular rhythm: Arthur Arbesser knows how to play with the system and its rules. And he knows how to have fun and how to make people have fun. While designing homewear or creating costumes for the Opera House, he takes care of a mental space that allows him to feel free, “even if thinking freely is a bit anti-Milanese,” he said. However, his greatest gift remains the naïvete of one that offers apricot juice or Coca-Cola to friends and clients, drawn in by the sense of warmth and eclectic storytelling. Because that’s precisely what he dresses people in.