Once again, Milan Fashion Week brought out the creativity in designers putting themselves out with inventive and extravagant designs. While plenty of familiar names, such as Giorgio Armani, put their work on display, a few new characters, including the Dolce & Gabbana-supported designer Tomo Koizumi, Vitelli and Shuting Qiu, all put out monumental designs.
Tomo Koizumi: a Dolce & Gabbana Tribute
Bright, flashy colors and gathered satin were the trademarks of Tomo Koizumi’s show designs, which were designed to pay tribute to those of us who supported him at Dolce & Gabbana. This support occurred because Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana created a program to help young talent in the design industry with some of their previous designers, including Matty Bovan in September 2022 and Miss Shoee in February 2022.
Tomo Koizumi paid his tribute to the company by showcasing designs that used inspiration from our archives, with printed silks, fun takes on the little black dress and multicolored corsets made from ribbons. He also included ruffled or puffed sleeves, rainbow fabrics and long tulle trains. Because of our support, he could also move away from his typical designs and experiment with different silhouettes, materials, techniques and colors.
Vitelli: a Denim Experiment
Meanwhile, the new-to-the-scene Vitelli combated Tomo Koizumi’s supported show with a collection focused on diverse textures. The founder of Vitelli, Mauro Simionato, explained that it was their first real fashion show compared to the typical catwalks the company was familiar with. Therefore, in-house alterations and improvisation were thrown out the window. Instead, the company focused on producing designs in a structured fashion. They also promoted their detailed preshow research.
This time, Vitelli broadened their fashion spectrum. They mixed denim and silk and softened the fabrics until they resembled felt. That allowed them to create a different look from the knitwear they usually have on stage. They also used wool that they had scraped until they were soft. But, of course, Vitelli continued to use their trademark knitwear. Their knit dresses hung from one shoulder and fell into asymmetrical silhouettes. They even mixed knits with other materials, such as jacquard.
Shuting Qiu: an Exuberant Colorful Display
After a three-year hiatus, Shuting Qiu rejoined the catwalks with an exceptionally bright collection like Tomo Koimuzi’s. She used various colors, prints, patterns and decorations to create a colorful style that combined many different textures. In addition, this young designer included her trademark nylon jumpsuits and tights in various designs and prints and paired them with patchwork garments and precious embellishments. Her work created a visually appealing collection.
She used a lot of flared sleeves on short dresses from previous designs and reassembled them in various tasteful materials. She included tweed skirts and micro-jackets trimmed with furs and down jackets decorated with fringe, sequins, embroidery, crystal garlands and smiley faces.
