From Florence at Pitti Uomo, Arthur Roberts from menswear Ouest Paris talks about his brand’s combination of Hedonism and Space Age influences.
Click below for the Before Tacky Podcast interview.
At Milan Fashion Week in the HUB, start-up label 0331 had a display in the new designers section. The Milan creative collectives started the brand with sustainable practices, up-cycling used denim to new forms.
Brightway from Osaka produces luxurious sneakers made from Japanese leather. The three generation footwear makers have a philosophy: “A Pair to Love Even After 10 Years.” Clic below to watch the Before Tacky podcast interview
Detroit, The Motor City, is famous for cars and manufacturing. The once industrial hub of America home to once corporate automobile giants General Motors, Ford and Chrysler is reinventing itself with creative industries. Detroitissimi at Pitti Uomo showcased the cities top fashion heads. BM-AC, Bosweel Millinery, Detroit Denim, Deviate, High’s Adventure Gear, K. Walker Collective, Modern Athlete and Stormy Kromer represented a new style of design and production from The Great Lake State. The collective heads shared a passion for quality and a dedication to a less but better model of clothing.
Click below for the Before Tacky Podcast talk.
The J-Quality Factory Brand Project is a project bringing together eleven certified Japanese garment producers showcasing the menswear fashion prowess of the island nation. Not knowing what expect the first time I met the team last year at Pitti Uomo, the guided tour of selected pieces got my attention. In 2024, for the second appointment, there were more and better pieces. The cashmere sweaters (below) came from the wings from an angel, soft, light and vivid brushed to achieve a distinctive luxe feel. A piece from these collections would have a prominent place in my wardrobe.
A person never knows when or why an inspiring time will trigger an idea: looking at a painting, hearing a piece of music or from a TMI moment. Everton McDougall got triggered to start his brand Haus by Everton from a frank conversation. The Toronto native needed comfortable and stylish home gear during the lockdown. Today, the men’s footwear designer’s brand is in stores.
For this Before Tacky podcast Everton talks about the why behind the founding of fashion label.
From Pitti Uomo a Before Tacky quick talk with Paolo Ferrari about his new bags for 959.
I remember the Guess Jean ads from the 90s. Those sexy images of models and celebrities posing in soft black and white images produced by some of the world’s most famous photographers, including Ellen von Unwerth. The pictures defined an era of denim marketing.
Founded in 1981 by four brothers, Georges, Paul, Armand and Maurice Marciano in South of France. Moving to the United States, the Marcianos found great success, starting a high-end denim brand mingled with the California lifestyle.
At Pitti Uomo 105, the Los Angeles based label had a bit of relaunch. Using the menswear trade fair, Guess had an impressive display of showing the company’s past, present and future. Using the Florence music hall, representatives gave a tour along with a meet and greet of the installation, showing its evolution to sustainable production and new store designs.
Will it work? In many ways, Guess fell off the radar of trend conscious shoppers. Facing competition from behemoths Zara and H&;M, repositioning a fashion brand targeting young buyers will not be easy. The well known red question mark inside triangle has it work cut out for itself luring customers who shop with emotional attachments to apps searching for cheap clothing.
Is success written in the future, or will Guess just continue to cruise in the slow lane? If the Florence presentation was down payment on the next forty years.
Marquis Miles sat down for an interview about menswear fashion at Pitti Uomo. The Washington DC resident style consultant gives advice on what to have in the wardrobe for 2024.
Street fashion is a statement of independence. A mixing of top to bottom pieces to stand out from the crowd. At Pitti Uomo Raf Ryes talks about his streetwear brand VERYRARE. The Paris based designer discusses his influences and inspiration behind the label as well as the designs that are based on artworks.