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Richard Quinn, Matthew Williams join Moncler Genius line-up one year on

Published
Feb 1, 2019

Moncler launched its latest Genius collection in-store on Thursday and on Friday the company released some new names who will be helping to drive the concept for the year ahead.


New Faces and returning names will drive the Moncler Genius collections this year



The company is adding two of the most interesting up-and-coming designers to its Genius line-up with Briton Richard Quinn, plus American Matthew Williams of 1017 ALYX 9SM signing on.

Their contributions, alongside the other new collections for the third Genius instalment, will be unveiled during Milan Fashion Week on February 20 with 10 collections shown via video installations. The event will take place in the freshly-revamped Raccordati Warehouse space and will be open to the public on February 24.

As well as newcomers, the offer for 2019 will also feature returning designers, although with some surprising twists. Valentino’s creative chief Pierpaolo Piccioli is back, for instance, but is working this time with supermodel Liya Kebede. And the Moncler 1952 collection will be designed by Sergio Zambon on menswear, as already known, but the company has just said that ex-Phoebe Philo era Celine designer Veronica Leoni has been quietly working on the womenswear offer for some months.

Meanwhile streetwear specialist Hiroshi Fujiwara of Fragment, is returning, plus Sandro Mandrino for Moncler Grenoble, Simone Rocha, Craig Green, Palm Angels’ Francesco Ragazzi (who spent 10 years at Moncler before Palm Angels) and Poldo Dog Couture all creating new 2019 collections. 

Kei Ninomiya won’t be back this year however, with the company saying the label’s team had always wanted it to be a one-year project.

Moncler CEO Remo Ruffini said of the new additions: “I added two new creatives with the aim to extend the action sphere. Both the two new designers are excellent talents with a distinctive aesthetic.”

BUSY YEAR FOR QUINN

The inclusion of Quinn sets the seal on a busy year for the designer who was thrust into the public consciousness almost a year ago when Queen Elizabeth was a surprise guest at his London Fashion Week show. At the same time he joined the Designers at Debenhams line-up and later produced a collaboration collection with Liberty of London.

Not that Matthew Williams is trailing too far behind in the high profile stakes. He may not have hosted royalty but he has collaborated with fashion royalty, including Kim Jones, Virgil Abloh and Alexander McQueen, while dressing pop culture royalty Lady Gaga and Kanye West.  

Their inclusion should boost the Moncler Genius publicity bandwagon that has helped drive interest in the brand with a positive impact on sales and profits. The company has unveiled a succession of high-double-digit sales rises and profits have benefited too with Moncler CEO Remo Ruffini having said that Genius has beaten expectations.

On Friday he was more focused on the creative side of Genius rather than the financial one. He said that it “is an answer to the times, a symposium of creative minds and an inspiring place. Each Genius operates singularly and the sum of the Geniuses interprets the Moncler identity.” 

Meanwhile, as mentioned, the company unveiled its latest collection on Thursday, '2 Moncler 1952', which it describes as “a visually striking edit of Moncler classics, contextualised in the contemporary urban scenario,”’ which is “bold for men and quietly assertive for women.”


The latest Moncler Genius collection



The men’s collection “oozes a pop, urban zest, as highlighted by prints featuring stars and letters spelling Moncler out and loud, devised with artist Hey Reilly and swarming all over the surfaces.”

Shapes and materials are functional with zippered jackets, field jackets, parkas, car coats, track pants and Bermuda shorts in cotton, nylon or rip stop fabrics. 

The women’s collection is an “inclusive reinterpretation of wardrobe staples – from the blouson to the pleated skirt, from the parka to the slouchy pant to the cozy jumper – seen anew in subtle plays of volumes, textures and shapes to address a multiplicity of women.”

It mixes “technical and precious materials – laqué nylon, technical faille, cotton drill, printed crepe de chine” with oversized drawstrings as a recurring detail, “allowing the wearer to manipulate and adjust volumes. Prints “add rhythm to” a classic palette of neutrals, blacks and blues with dashes of red.

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