Faster Than the Speed of Life
Review of MSGM Fall 2024 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
THE THEME
Before the dust has even settled on the Milan Men’s season, several overarching themes (or trends if you will) are starting to surface, most notably on the peripherals is the idea of good design enveloped in radical or off-beat presentations, with some of the new guard taking this idea the furthest, brands such as Massimo Giorgetti’s MSGM show how there is a non-conformist spirit underpinning what are exceptionally well-made clothes.
There is a particular pride that Italian designers take from their heritage that is admirable in a world of global influences. Italy’s many cities, their energy and environment, continue to inspire season-after-season. And with his menswear show for fall 2024, it was the red metro line which runs through Milan like a vein that was the starting point for Giorgetti’s MSGM. A collection which played heavily into irony to incorporate surrealist elements which were interspersed with that modern-day pre-occupation of life, namely technology.
Set in a disused part of the Porto Venezia subway station, Giorgetti channeled throughout this collection how speed has become the default mode in life. A soundtrack of a speeding train connected to the set design which included giant posters revealing a collaboration with the Google Pixel phone, the first fashion brand to do so. Images taken of trains speeding into platforms were taken with the phone and used as a digital print across the collections (as well as the background imagery). Further driving home the season’s theme of life moving way too fast for many, so much so, it can barely be captured in real-time. Speaking to The Impression the designer explained “Everything [in life] is fast, you have to run all the time, but you also have to find your right time”.
Collaborating took a multi-pronged approach this season, without ever losing the essence of MSGM. Alongside the Google pixel partnership, there was also the seeking out of the source of the designers original inspiration – the first milanese metro line designed by architect and designer Franco Albini, which opened in 1964. Elements of this influence were reworked into brooches and graphic prints and the everyday object of a subway handrail was reimagined as surface decoration and brooches in a surrealist take. Which was not a stretch for the designer as he noted “I started with the colour of the subway, with the lines – red, yellow, blue – and I added pink, it’s the MSGM DNA 100%”.
The MSGM DNA was vibrantly evident across this fall collection, with colour in joyful splashes uplifting the more serious tailored looks in grey and black, keeping the offering youthful. “There is a lot of tailoring, grey and black, but its important for me to stay young inside, and in my mind, and I do that through art, design, architecture” said Giorgetti.
THE BUZZWORDS
Collaborative, art imitating life, tech-assisted design, tongue-in-cheek
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #25
Resembling the tinsel found on indoor trees during the holidays, Massimo Giorgetti’s puffy hoodie and briefs look pushes the boundaries, yet keeps within the brands unexpected handwriting, more wearable iterations appear throughout the collection, but this look shows a love of playing with the MSGM persona.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
In 2024 you have to find the right balance between you, fashion, and the city you are living in. And fashion is still really important, because when you are wearing something you give off an energy and can convey a message, it’s a communication [tool]”
Massimo Giorgetti, Creative Director, MSGM
THE WRAP UP
In amongst another solid outing from Giorgetti, what stood out most, outside of the graphic prints and upbeat palette was the puffed up and XL quilted silhouettes. Seen coming through in the menswear market over the past few seasons, here there was an ironic leaning according to the designer “Everything is ironic, the puffy shirts, the puffy knitwear, the silver, and glamour, it’s really fun, but its not just for a younger man. I’m 45 years old, so it’s also fashion I can wear”. Whether its a way to cocoon the modern man or make him stand out in a crowd, the designer has demonstrated the wearability of his designs which are a welcome break away from an industry experiencing a wave of Quiet Luxury converts due to the volatility of the market.
Here there is ramping up of colour, design, and brand DNA from a designer who is not one to shy away from creating collections which provoke thought and and continue to put Italian designers in the spotlight.
