MILAN — There’s no denying that Massimo Giorgetti is a Milan lover. Over the years, the MSGM founder and creative director has penned many love letters to the city via his collections, tie-ups with storied businesses, local art fairs and cultural projects. His latest release is no exception.
On Monday, Giorgetti revealed MSGM’s pre-fall 2024 collection, in a change of strategy that saw the Italian designer unveil the look book images to a see now, buy now timing rather than the regular fashion timeline he usually follows.
The images photographed by Delfino Sisto Legnani still had an element of continuity, as they built on a project Giorgetti kicked off this time last year to spotlight Milan’s architectural treasures that is expected to run for four iterations. Inspired again by “Entryways of Milan” — a photographic tome which Giorgetti said he has been obsessed with since it was released by Taschen in 2017 — he set the pre-fall images in a ‘60s Brutalist masterpiece building designed by architect Ruggero Farina Morez and located in the Milan’s Via Francesco Melzi d’Eril.
Seats by designer and Tecno founder Osvaldo Borsani as well as a marble sculpture and concrete bas-reliefs by sculptor Gino Cosentino were added to the location, considered one of the many hidden gems scattered around town and standing not far from the landmark Arco della Pace arch.
“I like the fact that there’s a serious scouting not just for shows but for look books now, too,” Giorgetti told WWD. “I get to discover more and more the city; it’s an enriching experience.”
Compared to the inaugural leg of the project, for this second chapter the designer pushed the scouting envelope further by collecting design props and making casting choices that could enrich his storytelling aimed at correlating the city’s past and present and “narrating the protagonists of the new Milan.”
Cue a stool by hip Milanese design trio NM3 accessorizing the opening look, as well as objects including a Murano glass vase by 6:AM Glassworks; new editions of the Flash Art magazine; archival issues of the Mousse publication, and the new tome “In the Houses: Interiors in Milan 1928-1978” making appearances as the lineup progressed to restate MSGM’s connection with the design and art scenes. Paintings were also introduced, such as “As if slamming the sun” by artist Iva Lulashi, who Giorgetti recently hosted in the Ordet experimental art center cultural hub he opened in 2019.
In addition to regular MSGM models Melissa Hanselaar and Prinnie Stott, the casting included artists Benni Bosetto and Giorgia Garzilli, who embody the new wave of Milan-based creatives, according to Giorgetti. The former’s work was also previously displayed at Ordet and made a cameo in one of the look book images, while the latter’s ouvre has recently been showcased at the Miart Fair, which Giorgetti has sponsored and supported in the past.
As for the lineup, it reprised many elements of MSGM‘s men’s fall 2024 show in January, when Giorgetti took the fashion pack to Milan’s subway, defined as “a lifelong obsession of mine.”
The tie-up with the Franco Albini Foundation, devoted to the architect and designer who conceived the tubular handrails used in metro stations, resurfaced in the women’s collection as graphic decoration on a sweater or as brooches pinned on shirts and checkered tailored coats.
The fuzzy knits, fluffy textures and sequined touches that were seen on men’s looks were mirrored for women, which had additional ironic elements. These ranged from maxi strawberry shapes popping on cropped poplin shirts and full skirts to Dalmatian spots splashed on silk pajama sets and printed satin dresses. Another playful print was the result of turning into WhatsApp stickers little porcelain statues of cats and dogs collected in vintage markets or through eBay.
“Even with all the arty references, MSGM and fashion in general has to stay lighthearted, carefree and a little playful. The goal is to keep narrating Milan while having fun,” Giorgetti said.
Yet women’s pre-collections are a serious business for MSGM, accounting for 70 to 80 percent of its sales. The increasing affinity with the men’s main line enables the brand to deliver a stronger and more coherent message in stores, too.
Also for this reason, Giorgetti will present his new menswear collection along with the women’s resort 2025 line, in a coed show during Milan Fashion Week. Scheduled for June 15, the event will mark MSGM’s 15th anniversary, as reported.
