Bologna is roaring.
The Italian town, known for its storied university, lively music scene and cuisine, has been experiencing momentum fashion-wise too. Luca Magliano and Marco Rambaldi are two of the city’s finest fashion ambassadors thanks to their personal way of proposing a narrative different to Milan’s glam.
No surprise then in seeing Magliano sitting front row at Rambaldi’s spring 2025 show, staged en plein air under the curious eyes of passersby. What Magliano viewed must have hit home, since his fellow citizen said backstage he was inspired by childhood memories growing up in the province.
“I come from the province and I recently left Milan and went back to it,” Rambaldi said, explaining that the relocation has granted him “distance from all the frenzy.”
“That helps to find yourself again,” he continued. “In a period of great confusion on a social and political level, you get to understand which are the important things.”
Such clarity was reflected in the designer’s fashion vision, which is getting sharper and resulting in more grownup collections, in this case one celebrating life’s little pleasures while riffing on retro style archetypes, from midi dresses, pencil skirts and scarves tied around the shoulders to ‘80s bomber jackets.
The conviviality around the Sunday dinner table was turned into a pop print of food splashed on a slipdress, while vintage manifestos made for an allover pattern on shirts and body-hugging frocks.
A staple for Rambaldi, handmade doilies informed patchwork skirts and long dresses. The crafty vibe was reinforced with macramé separates, often layered with organza, or patches mixed with leather in vintage-looking handbags.
While Swarovski motifs on see-through pieces offered a flashy counterpoint, knitwear still proved to be Rambaldi’s forte. Inlays on jumpers and on beach towels knotted as skirts nodded to old-school ads of events in the province, or proclaimed membership of “Circolo Rambaldi.”
While the location of his imaginary social club is unclear, bonus points should go to its members. Rambaldi’s circle is still populated by a diverse community who modeled his collection, and proved that, unlike at other brands, his approach to inclusivity has never been a convenient, one-time casting choice.