SHANGHAI—The Moncler City of Genius spectacle wrapped up in Shanghai on Saturday night, with its latest roster of creative talents showcasing their codesigned collections in their respective booths at the China Ship Pavilion by the Huangpu River.
After entering the Moncler “city” via an archway-shaped entrance, guests were greeted by an installation by the much-celebrated Chinese calligraphy artist Xu Bing.
Across the road, three smaller venues hosted the collections by A$AP Rocky, Rick Owens, and Chinese multidisciplinary artist LuLu Li, whose minimalistic work, enhanced by AI technology, was an immersive experience that bridged imagination and reality.
The centerpiece of Owens’ showcase was a futuristic, self-sustained, saintless steel-structured extreme weather refuge by Hugh Broughton Architects, a London-based practice that has designed research facilities in Antarctica.
On the other side, a concert stage was surrounded by bigger spaces that housed collections by Willow Smith, Frgmt by Hiroshi Fujiwara, and Edward Enninful, editorial adviser at British Vogue and global creative and cultural adviser of Vogue.
Enninful teamed with the brand to release the first ready-to-wear collection under his name. Set in a dystopian future, models were seen traversing through extreme weather conditions while performing “mundane” tasks, such as walking the dog or sitting in an outdoor office.
At the end of the venue, there were pavilions for Gilga Farm by Donald Glover, the American actor, musician, writer, director, and producer; Jil Sander, designed by Luke and Lucie Meier; Palm Angels, created and designed by Francesco Ragazzi, and Mercedes-Benz by Nigo, the creative director of Kenzo and Human Made.
Nigo’s work, which involved the unveiling of a limited-edition G-Class Mercedes vehicle, a capsule fashion collection, and an art piece, which was a restored G-Class from the 1990s, was presented on a multi-level rooftop that melded past and present.
The evening before, Mercedes did a large-scale launch event at the Museum of Art Pudong, featuring a collaboration with the Chinese designer Chen Peng and a performance by the Chinese singer Lay Zhang.
Palms Angels’ Ragazzi collection was inspired by racing, while A$AP Rocky’s collection was also powered by extreme sports. The American rapper took inspiration from biker culture set against a futuristic scene.
Jil Sander continued its pursuit of organic and rounded silhouettes that cocoon the body, which was presented in a rotunda enclosed by curved screens that exhibited the quiet beauty of the alpine peaks.
Glover’s Gilga Farm was an orange orchard that represented his new farm and creative hub in Ojai, Calif. The collection was workwear-inspired with a nostalgic bent.
At the preview, Remo Ruffini, chairman and chief executive officer of Moncler, who introduced the Genius project in 2018, said this year’s cohort of collaborators was briefed with the same question: “How to keep alive our creative genius?”
“In Shanghai, we have created a place where everyone can live creatively. The entire experience is built around the idea of a city with 10 different areas, where each designer invites to live their interpretation of Moncler Genius.”
He then expressed his admiration for Shanghai, where Moncler opened its first China store at Plaza 66 in 2009, and currently operates three others along the all-important West Nanjing Road retail artery, including iAPM, Reel, and most recently a two-story flagship at HKRI Taikoo Hui.
It’s understood that Ruffini was encouraged by representatives from Shanghai’s Jing’an district government right after the Genius event in London in February 2023, that he should consider Shanghai as the Genius journey’s next destination.
Ruffini said he travels to China several times a year and during his recent visits, he remains impressed by the speed of how everything is moving forward.
“It is something that helped me to understand the future of this country. I always concentrate on building up something unique for this market. We try to improve what we have in mind for China, but thanks to the team we have here, sometimes I feel my stores in China are better than the others,” he said.
“The market is good for us, very strong. I’m sure in five years, China will be much bigger than today, but the problem is Moncler’s tomorrow. Honestly, I don’t care much about today. Maybe my team cares more about the day-to-day business. What I care about is building the biggest and strongest brand that I have in my portfolio, which is Moncler,” Ruffini continued.
China is one of the brand’s most significant markets.
In the first half of the year, Moncler’s sales in Asia, which includes APAC, Japan, and South Korea, represented 49.3 percent of the total business. In the second quarter, revenues in the region grew by 6 percent, driven by strong growth registered in Japan, supported mostly by tourists, as well as by a positive performance in mainland China.
Over 8,000 guests – from celebrities, fashion editors, influencers, and artists, to Shanghai-based luxury brand executives, PRs, chefs, architects, and musicians – were invited by multiple agencies to experience the Moncler Genius Shanghai moment.
Major stars spotted during the night included Rihanna, who was here to support her partner A$AP Rocky, Naomi Campbell, Anne Hathaway, Shu Qi, Leah Dou, Spanish actor Manu Ríos, Yeonjun of K-pop group TXT, Japanese singer Koga Yudai, Hong Kong singer Nicholas Tse, Chinese actor Zhang Yunlong, and Maye Musk.
The spectacle was accompanied by a two-hour livestream on Chinese social media platforms, including WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu.
The night ended with a high-energy performance by Lijun Chen, a Cantonese opera singer, and Henry Lau, the Canadian Chinese K-pop star and violinist.
“I love the fluidity of Moncler,” said Xu Bing prior to the performance. The noted Chinese artist created a Chinese logo for the event using traditional Oracle Bone characters. Xu is known for his invention of a new calligraphy system made up of English letters.
“‘Genius’ in Oracle Bone looks like a budding seed, which we can say was the original meaning of the word, and I think it’s a perfect match for the concept today,” said Xu.
“I’m ready to make some new friends, look at some good fashion, and have fun,” said Harrison Enli Yu, a Gen Z artist and son of Taiwanese stars Harlem Yu and Annie Yi. “I’m so overwhelmed. I loved the Genius collection by Jil Sander.”
The New York-based influencer Vanessa Hong said attending the event was “like diving into the worlds of the collaborators. It’s a celebration of art, fashion, and music and that’s very unique to Moncler.”
Hong was invited by LuisaViaRoma for a social media takeover. LuisaViaRoma is one of the key retailers that will drop the Moncler Genius collections simultaneously online and in-store in New York and Florence, starting with the Willow Smith collection on Nov. 21.
Capping off the night, A$AP Rocky performed at the after-party held at the Bulgari Hotel Shanghai, with Rihanna, Campbell, Ríos, Enninful and more in the audience, dancing tirelessly with the panoramic Pudong skyline as the backdrop.