Cult Parisian band Pigalle embark on a new spring capsule collection with an unlikely Italian heritage collaboration. With both parties sharing the same ideologies “of diversity, family and freedom, an appreciation for nonconformity, curiosity and colour and an integral relationship with the artisanal,” Pigalle and Missoni exhibit their inaugural capsule collection for Spring 2017.
Pigalle are no strangers to creating desirable collaborations, with their recent history of collabs with Nike Lab proving to be ever so popular, setting up Nike-sponsored basketball tournaments for the local kids of Pigalle. At first sight, this collaboration could be seen in the same context of Louis Vuitton’s highly anticipated collab with Supreme, breaking the lines between luxury and streetwear. However, the brands have more in common than just fashion — despite its hierarchy in fashion, Missoni is still regarded as a family-orientated business. Passed down like a cherished family heirloom, by Rosita the brand’s co-founder, after losing interest in fashion. As Angela Missoni — daughter of Rosita and the brand’s current creative director — explains how easy it is to accept new ideas due its family ties. “It’s easy, you collaborate and you talk. The fact that we are not the corporate means we can make decisions very fast.”
The collaboration is a perfect example of how brands should collaborate based of values and not hype. The Parisian cult brand is also renowned for its roots within family and community, as they showcased their last S/S17 collection in the theme of a wedding. Regularly utilising the local kids from Pigalle as models for the show.
The ‘athleisure’ collection is another take on the Stephane Ashpool’s favourite theme: basketball. Fusing 90s hip-hop culture of his youth with Missoni’s heritage and knitwear expertise. With fabrics from between 1985 and 2010 being reworked in the prominent beige/yellow and blue/purple colour variants and applied to everything from pima cotton robes, track pants to varsity bombers and jersey sweatshirts and tees. However, the co-branded endeavour, is ensuring the collection is collectable, releasing various colour series at different locations. The first being the yellow series being released at Colette, Paris and the blue series being released at Dover Street Market Ginza, Tokyo respectively.
*Written by Kevin Arulrajah
