Filippo Grazioli went crafty, artsy and (why not?) a bit crazy for spring. He fully unleashed his inner eccentric on the runway, fearlessly and almost obsessively exploring Missoni’s zig-zag pattern with an avant-garde verve that felt instinctive and urgent.
Backstage before the show, he explained that he wanted to re-energize Missoni’s bold artistic spirit and the playfulness of its beginnings, which he believed had been left dormant and overlooked. He emphasized that the zig-zag motif has deep ancestral cultural origins, which he aimed to honor through a collection with a primal, elemental rhythm. Delving into the archives, he also unearthed a vibrant striped collection with a totemic vibe, originally created in 1990 to celebrate the soccer World Cup, that he reprised to further raise the chromatic spark.
Ruth Asawa, the American artist known for her modernist looped-wire organic sculptures, served as the inspiration for Grazioli’s tour de force of revitalizing the zig-zag motif. He translated it into a multitude of 3D, triangular-shaped spiky knitted forms that alternately undulated, protruded, or unfolded in accordion-pleated spirals or tremulous mille-feuilles on tubular tops, minidresses, and leggings, generating whirlwinds of kinetic energy. Other equally spectacular specimens included dresses made from knotted ribbons, tunics covered in round sequins as big as CDs, and clingy jacquard sheaths adorned with fringes haphazardly placed like colorful brushstrokes. Kudos to Missoni’s know-how for pushing their knitwear expertise to such remarkable expressive limits.
What made the collection both punchy and strangely captivating was Grazioli’s unwavering focus. Though it may have appeared excessive, it was crafted with such single-minded conviction that it radiated a sense of joyful, admirable defiance. It delivered electrifying mixed signals and jolts of energy that kept the audience far from indifferent or, worse, asleep. That’s already a rather impressive accomplishment.