Rediscovery of popular and provincial clothing, masculinity and human diversity, queer community and political action. The principles that brought Magliano to Pitti as guest designer
Magliano foundation, the community and the rediscovery of popular culture. Redefining masculinity contemporary Made in Italy
The official founding of the Magliano brand dates back to 2017, following the consecration of the brand as the winner of the Who’s on Next contest. Thanks to this Luca Magliano, menswear designer of the brand, had the opportunity to present his first collection at Pitti Uomo: Guardaroba per un uomo innamorato (Wardrobe for a man in love).
At the five-year mark, the brand returns to where it all began to affirm the Italian New Wave. Magliano is among the brands that are driving the redefinition of contemporary Made in Italy.
The deconstruction of a stale system that has seen the same brands at the apex of the Italian fashion system since the 1980s is underway, and Magliano represents a key piece of the current landscape. For Luca Magliano, the idea of masculinity falls under genderless fashion. The effort and desire to keep raw materials and production completely in Italy. The deconstruction of classic garments through the rediscovery of the popular. The involvement of the queer community in Bologna. These are some of the leitmotifs of the brand.
Anti-capitalism refuses globalization. Underground movements and subcultures in Bologna shaped the brand Magliano
The periphery and the search for authenticity of experience, these are two pivotal elements that return in Magliano’s work for menswear. The idea of Bologna that the designer and his brand provide is that of a more democratic city than Milan, in which different social classes and personalities coexist by settling around the historic center.
This is why, to the globalized reality of Italian fashion that is concentrated in Milan, he preferred to base his work in Bologna, trying to bring the authenticity of the province to each presentation. A well-rooted identity far from the big cosmopolitan city and for this reason rich with the stereotypical characters that populate it and to which the brand tries to give voice.
The ethics and aesthetics linked to the protagonists of the social centers, the small town and the workers that inevitably connect to a certain political culture, this represents Magliano through its masculinity. The very high waist of men’s pants, patterns in knitwear and pants, shaped jackets taken from the Eighties, radios used as handbags and gold crucifixes around the neck, from the first menswear fashion show the Magliano brand had already outlined its DNA by indulging in the charm of the province.
Luca Magliano in Bologna: political action, masculinity and human diversity
Not just dresses, its runways are filled with popular characters chosen in casting calls for their most diverse traits, making the show and garments suitable for all bodies and putting at the center Human diversity and respect. In each menswear collection, Luca Magliano tells a story where the models play the main characters who sometimes seem to have emerged from the neighborhood bar or from collectives. Associationism, activism, political action, reflection on the meaning of masculinity are elements of the brand’s narrative that tap into the left-wing movements of Bologna – heart of the communist-flavored drive for collectivism.
Luca Magliano collaboration with U-Power. Ethics and aesthetics: workwear for the brand and the quest of masculinity
Among the brand’s latest collaborations is with U-Power, a brand of safety shoes used by workers, as the brand felt the need to turn to workwear to fully express its aesthetic, often connected with masculinity. «Workwear is sentimental and familial, my father’s-stained clothes are a visceral obsession», Luca Magliano tells Lampoon Magazine talking about the partnership for the brand.
Diving into the province and popularity to expand the brand’s narrative in a coherent path of construction and storytelling. And the menswear designer continues, «We asked U-Power to open a conversation with us: we have always been fascinated by the idea of expressing ourselves through really popular objects. If you go down the street and pay attention you realize how many people are wearing safety shoes».
In the latest SS24 collection, presented during the Milan Men’s Fashion Week, the expressed need becomes evident: shirts seem to resemble work uniforms and denim looks worn and stained. And also the knitwear bears the words Magliano Srl on the back along with the phone number, as in various shirts provided to workers in many Italian working class companies, as well as there is the inclusion of tools and work objects in the style of some garments.
Manufacturing and made in Italy: elements of Luca Magliano raw materials
The brand’s production is based in Italy, and the pro for young designers on the peninsula is to be able to interface with artisans who possess a certain know-how at short distances from the place where they are going to base their company. Referring back to small realities, the work is often organic, with direct contacts that allow a professional and personal exchange with the supply chain.
Speaking of made in Italy, Magliano explains during an interview how sustainable it is because of the ability of small businesses not to waste and the tendency to reuse. He then goes on to highlight the complexities in a system that needs concrete funding to produce a complete collection, starting from raw materials to manufacturing.
Luca Magliano winning the LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize 2023
In March 2023 LVMH announced the finalists vying for the coveted prize capable of enshrining young designers who are making their mark in the fashion system. Among the candidates in the finals was a representation of Made in Italy, from Luca Magliano to Veronica Leoni for Quira to Satoshi Kuwata for Setchu.
In June 2023, the winner of the LVMH Prize, Setchu, is announced, but the jury reserves the possibility of awarding a number of other prizes. Luca Magliano in fact wins LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize 2023, which consists of a cash prize of €200,000 and a one-year mentorship for the brand. «I’ll be quick: it’s a beautiful feeling to be seen», said Magliano expressing his gratitude for the win.
In the already mentioned interview with Vogue Italia, the menswear designer also recounted the evaluation process the brands have to undergo during the award, describing the few garments available and the raw materials implied during the three days dedicated to showrooms.
«To convince them you have very few minutes, while the dilation of the time in which you meet them is very wide because, in fact, it’s 20 hours», says Magliano referring to the jury, which this year was composed of Jonathan Anderson, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Kim Jones, Nigo, Stella McCartney, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie and Sidney Toledano. The desire to tell his own identity, he explains to Vogue, eventually reset the competitive atmosphere on those presentation days.
Italian New Wave – What does it mean to be guest designer at Pitti? – Luca Magliano as Pitti Guest Designer
«Pitti is where our project first manifested itself five years ago, with that huge mountain of red roses that thinking about it now gives me a great sense of giddiness and tenderness: like looking in the mirror after a long time and finding the key things again, even though everything has happened in the meantime. This return home, to people you love and value, fills me with joy. It is the ideal occasion – because it is suspended – to imagine ourselves in the future, more Magliano than ever», says the menswear designer’s statement about the news.
The role of guest designer at Pitti Immagine is not only on the basis of the menswear designer’s influence internationally, but also with respect to the designer’s future potential. In January 2024, therefore, Magliano will exhibit his own collection, returning to those moments that marked the beginning of his career.
Lapo Cianchi, Pitti’s director of communication, comments on the proposal of Magliano’s menswear fashion show in Florence as a chance to reward his affirmation, the career that sprung from the very same event and the stylistic evolution of the brand.
He then continues in the press note, specifying that the choice was in agreement with Camera Moda: «Luca stands out for his ability to model in an original way the cultural and social canons usually associated with Italian fashion: a central element in this sense is his inclination toward a truly collective work and the idea of masculinity».
The Italian New Wave: Luca Magliano perspectives on issues in the fashion industry
The Italian New Wave seems to be facing similar issues in creating a new brand, breaking into the fashion sector and making the project grow. Among the aspects that Magliano cites as problematic in approaching the industry are the need for a substantial base of funds along with the possibility of going outside one’s niche, especially if the brand is based outside Milan, as in Magliano’s case.
Speaking of funds, the designer himself, while pursuing his own project and parading for the past five years in the official calendar of Milan Men Fashion Week, has been pursuing external consulting projects and for other brands, being able to devote the remaining time to his project. Even walking the runway entails costs that are not insignificant, and while remaining true to the spirit of the brand, the collections included making the show economically viable as well.
With respect to production, the initial support that the supply chain provided Magliano financially and the need now to expand offices and staff in order to better express his brand identity through different areas such as accessories or shoes. The menswear brand’s latest milestones in terms of growth also include the establishment of a Magliano studio as well as the ecommerce launch.
Questioning Masculinity – Magliano, from Pitti Guest Designer to LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize 2023
Luca Magliano founded the eponymous menswear Magliano in 2017 in Bologna, Italy. Many consider Magliano part of the Italian New Wave in the fashion industry, mostly focused on themes like masculinity. From this city, the brand took inspiration to hybridize traditional fashion forms with subcultures and underground movements. Recent accolades include Business of Fashion’s inclusion of Magliano among the 500 big names in contemporary fashion. In 2023 Pitti Guest Designer nominated Magliano and won the LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize.
