Was Filippo Grazioli trying to ignite a viral zigzagcore trend with his wackadoodle spring show for Missoni?
How else to explain this radical treatise on the Milanese brand’s most famous motif, here expressed in searing primary colors; as jutting structures that are usually seen only on the back of osteoderms, a strain of Jurassic dinosaurs, and surprisingly few sweater knits.
“I just wanted to try a different way to interpret zigzag,” an emotional Grazioli said backstage, hugging his design team and dabbing tears with a tissue. “As a creative director, it is extremely important for me to bring a new way to translate the codes of the house.”
His mood board showed that the kindergarten colors were actually inspired by Piet Mondrian, and the millefeuille constructions and puckered protrusions by Japanese artist Ruth Asawa, prized for her intricate sculptures in wire and paper. The latter includes paper meticulously folded into groovy 3D zigzags.
Grazioli also plucked an archival print of a beach scene, done up in the style of a sixth-grade art class in loud primary shades. These appeared as knit tube dresses, to which the designer added big bunches of silk thread here and there. It resembled Play-Doh oozing out.
There were many other offbeat and playful textures, including pants and headbands with long, licorice-like fringes, coats seemingly made of foam, and jagged tops and skirts in those millefeuille constructions. They were fun to film, but felt far away from the Missoni of yore.
Not so fast. Backstage, Graziola had included some wildly fringed and graphic looks from early ’90s Missoni collections on his moodboard, proving that the house has had an experimental side since forever.