“This is the fourth unfolding of a new development for Canali, born with our fall/winter 2023 collection, which aims to provoke evolution on the basis of its founding values: quality of materials, constructions, and a trendy addition that is never the subject, but rather a form of completeness.” So said Stefano Canali, third-generation custodian of the family business at a Milan Fashion Week presentation. Marking its 90h anniversary, the Italian brand presented in the courtyard of Palazzo Bovara a menswear collection based on a total look that revolves around the concept of the jacket, dissected from the traditional one to the Sahariana.
With Canali, it’s never about revolution: digging from its heritage, a form of quiet luxury takes shape by going beyond formalwear, reaching a form of leisurewear that intertwines with tailoring, that is found in the unlined, double-faced garments with invisible seams. The leather construction named Nuvola (cloud in Italian) chimes with the craftsmanship of the brand. Paired with it, trousers become more flowing, and an emphasis is placed on details. As materiality is important at Canali, a sense of touch is captured by the widespread presence of knit in the collection, from punto stoffa to honeycomb stitches, to the textural intarsia of knit and chenille.
“It is a collection conceived for a real person,” Canali stated. “What we present is what will arrive in stores.” The Milan store was recently renovated, and is currently showing a capsule collection dedicated to the 90th birthday of the brand. Available for the next six months, it comes up beside spring summer 2025 and focuses on a nostalgic revival of Canali’s roots. As Canali tells it, “the goal is not to petrify what has been but to evolve the concepts said so far. The company started with a collection of raincoats characterized by the symbol of the swan, which at the time represented the impermeability of the product. We designed a retro-futuristic capsule entirely made from that fabric.”