The Seventies still fascinate. For his first Milan fashion week show, Marco Rambaldi references feminist photographer Marcella Campagnano, whose 1976 photo series “Roles” inspired him to think about how modern society still forces women into distinct categories.
“Campagnano photographed her friends acting out different roles: the wife, the business woman, the diva,” explained the 28-year-old designer, a finalist of the Who’s On Next competition in 2017. “That was the start of my collection: there are so many roles imposed on women even nowadays, which explains why the looks are a bit confused. There are lots of different fabrics, colors, knitwear styles, just as there are a lot of personalities within every woman.”
On the runway, to the sound of “Donna Donna” by Joan Baez, a knitted and belted cardigan spelled out the different characters in Campagnano’s work: signora, signorina, feminista, libertina, diva.
You May Also Like
A glorious pleather coat with a fake fur trim was worn over a knitted pink leopard ensemble; boxy coats had contrast seams and pockets: skirts and bell-bottoms were made out of printed photo collages; and psychedelic macramé knits becane oversized jumpers and dainty knitted bucket bags.
There were cagoules, trailing scarves and plexiglass earrings. Tie-dye prints on skintight dresses and skirts prevented the collection from becoming to literal, while the diverse casting anchored the collection into present day: tattoos were spotted snaking over a blue-haired model’s knitted socks. It was clever collection, both fun to watch and technically impressive, cementing Rambaldi’s position as a rising talent within Italian fashion.