She parades ordinary men taken from the street, met by chance.
Bartenders, artisans, goldsmiths, footballers from the Fiorentina Calcio team, traders from the local market: for her first fashion show at Pitti Uomo 2023, Martine Rose hired ordinary men, who turned into professional models for the occasion.
The British designer chose the Loggia del Porcellino, a 16th century building used for mercantile exchanges, converting it into an 80s-90s disco surrounded by mirrors to evoke and pay homage to London raver culture and Italian 80s clubbing.
Martine Rose’s show at Pitti Uomo in Florence was the first one outside the UK of her career, organized down to the last detail to celebrate her participation as guest of honour at the event: the choice of the unconventional location is part of her style, which often reflects on the sense of community and the stereotypes of our society.
The British-Jamaican-born designer is famous for her unconventional locations: in the past, in London, she has shown her models in the covered markets of Tottenham, in an alley in the Camden district; everything reflects her spontaneous nature, without superstructures and a latent sense of freedom, which is also expressed in her collections.
Her Autumn-Winter 2023-24 collection is a compendium of sportswear, perfectly synthesised with the sartorial mood, such as low-waisted boot-cut trousers, buckled denim in 3 washes, bomber jackets full of embellishments, merino wool knitwear; the typical Martine Rose jackets with a boxy, oversized cut.
Also presented on the catwalk were the new trainers made in collaboration with Nike, the Shox Mr4, with a print inspired by the jerseys of English 90s goalkeepers. A more than successful mix of streetwear fashion and classic tailoring, for a collection that no longer looks to either men’s or women’s wardrobes, but combines their codes in a spontaneous and free way.
“I look for beauty in everyday things,” Martine Rose has always affirmed, and at Pitti Uomo 2023 she gave yet another confirmation of this.
Read Also: “Martine Rose, the designer who turned outsiders into trendsetters”
Discover her collection in collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger at blackboxstore.com
