Explorations

The Special Ones

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Exploring the counterculture of fashion research


Hunting for the special ones, unique brands for people who want more from fashion fuels the passion for research, enhancing it further. The dates and exhibition places are more or less the same, but the sense of discovery is always more engaging.

In the spirit of ‘less is more,’ exclusivity and unique garments, thoughtful design and made-to-last quality represent the new luxury for modern humans. And precisely this is what we select for you.

Mainstream fashion and its limelight are just one part of the industry. But out of the dominant narrative, there’s a more hidden universe that you have to dig a little to find. It is a microcosm made of true passion, hard work and unconventional designs. A fascinating universe that delivers profoundly valuable garments having the feel of niche or cult fashion. Not for everyone.

By the way, more hidden doesn’t refer to insiders, but to a broader audience—the end customers. They rely on social media as the only source of information, their only bible. Therefore, their knowledge is shallow. Indeed, they are brand oriented or taken from fast fashion but lack a deeper understanding of design and quality.

Being radically different, these cult brands do not follow trends. In fact, they represent a counterculture escaping from marketing labels. And precisely because they don’t want to be pigeon-holed, classified, and placed into boxes with a trendy label stamped outside.

Most importantly, they let their products speak – with excellent quality fabrics, tailoring, artisanal workings, limited productions, and experimentation. It’s an act of meaning: they deliver beauty and uniqueness. Timeless quality and value.

Also, one more factor: almost no advertising. In fact, the special ones run away from algorithms too–which contributes to making them more fascinating.

Do you want to know more? Keep in touch!

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Less is More

Reading Time: 2 minutes

What the fashion industry refuses to see


Less is more, is not about deprivation but value, a more attentive choice. A concept that, together with buy less, buy better – brings about a new awakened attitude focused on meaning. And so, an evolved lifestyle that privileges quality rather than quantity.

For people like us, who lived the pandemic as an eye-opening event and an opportunity to change because we had the chance to realise what we did to the planet, going back is not a possibility.

A lost opportunity


People attracted to the spotlights, influencers and celebrities did not have a crumb of this thought during this fashion month.
But we did, you and us. Indeed we are disappointed by the latest fashion shows and the massive number of outfits made for the new Spring/Summer 23 season. And we are disappointed because the industry missed the opportunity to mark a real change.

Less is more is a shift that the fashion industry cannot face up for a matter of mere interest. Fashion is in the hands of finance, and finance is all about money. Since we try to find better ways to inhabit the planet, therefore, how we live and consume, we question what we see. So we challenge the fashion system.

A less passive fruition of fashion


There are people bored by endless online catalogues or stores packed with items. It’s a niche driven by a less passive fruition of fashion and product consumption in general.

If you are part of this niche, driven by a more active engagement with fashion and product consumption, you refuse endless overconsumption as a lifestyle pattern. And you shift towards caring behaviour, so you want a thoughtful selection, fewer pieces made to last.

Less is more: evolved fashion #formodernhumans


Less is more creates space for new possibilities, a new approach that touches on our ethical, economic, and social views placing people and the planet first. It’s a different way of living, a higher purpose. Something that we share and can drive change. Which, in the end, is something bigger than ourselves.

The fashion industry cannot grasp this opportunity, but we can.

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The Fashion Month: A Step Backward

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What did you expect from the SS23 fashion shows?


The fashion month is over, and the idea of changing the sytem vanished among global hysteria.

From NY, London, Milano and Paris, the Spring/Summer 23 runways favoured the physical format plus streaming. But some brands opted to reveal the digital version later, not without leaving a certain perplexity. Because this way of looking for an angle, being the cool ones who pull themselves out, seemed more like a step backwards in a digital era.

However, there were so many outfits on the runways, most of which were ugly with just a few interesting concepts. Also, stealing designs, now the norm, killed brands’ identity. But if you expected a different approach, you would be disappointed. The wind of change, so much discussed during the last two years, is gone. Disappeared. Evaporated!

The industry is back to normal!


In case you were one of those afraid of a back to normal during the pandemic, there we are! Totally there! 100% there! The countless number of outfits put together in every show was impressive. Such an endless overconsumption pattern has nothing to do with change. And nothing to do with sustainability.

Furthermore, one of the most popular shows sent out a model in underwear, and then someone sprayed on her body. From an engineering viewpoint, it can be interesting, even if McQueen did it first in Spring 99. But it doesn’t seem to be sustainable. Indeed the material sprayed contains plastic, so it seems like they are promoting single-use plastic.

Even though facts did not correspond to words, all the big groups claim the sustainability umbrella.

Fashion lacks consistency


The fashion industry seems like an enormous bandwagon with no courage or maybe no real will to change. And the reason is simple: changing the pattern leads to degrowth, which means lower budgets. And so, lower profits.

But if brands are so interested in showing their sustainable standards, why was there no trace of it in their fashion shows? Do we still believe that using a sustainable material or building an eco-friendly atelier makes a brand sustainable? No, it only builds up a facade.

As revealed through this fashion month, this industry, which relies on a polluting and exploiting system, has no intention to change.

So please, forget all the talks you may have heard in the last two years! Industry players just had a reactive moment because they worried about losing everything. Now the fear is gone, so is the will to change!

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What’s Going On In Iran?

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A protest spreading all over the world


What’s going on in Iran is appalling and cannot go unnoticed. It’s about women, and it’s about human rights. And so, we cannot turn our heads.

In early September, the morality police arrested Masha Amini, a 22 years old Kurdish girl. Why? Because she didn’t wear her hijab properly. Just reading this news feels insane and gut-wrenching! Led to a re-education camp, she had a cardiac arrest and fell into a coma. Three days later, she died.

Witnesses said Misha Amini was brutally beaten by the authorities. As a consequence of this horrible death, Iranian people started big riots on the streets. Also calling for the fall of the regime – the Islamic Republic – a dictatorship that has subjugated people for decades.

In Iran, there’s no freedom of expression or association. Women, LGBTQ people and minorities are discriminated against and abused. And women are forced to wear a hijab from the age of nine. Indeed religion is the tool in the hands of the dictatorship to suppress freedom and control people.

Iran protests
Marco Melgrati Illustration


Despite the regime’s atrocity, to protests over Mahsa Amini’s death, women in Iran started cutting off their hair. Soon the protests spread everywhere. In fact, in solidarity with Iranians, women around the world have cut or shaved their hair in public. Also, Iran’s national team wore plain black jackets over their uniforms in Qatar.

Protesting in democratic countries plays a role as an expression of democracy. But rioting where people risk the death penalty really means having guts.

Therefore, what happens in Iran is something we need to share and discuss in order to spread awareness and solidarity.

Even though we cannot add new pieces of information, we cannot stay silent. And what really counts is that we all can contribute to giving voice to the Iranians.

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An Interview With Takafumi Sekine: The Creative Mind Behind Meagratia

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Discover the unique Japanese brand redefining modern creativity


We’re thrilled to share our interview with Takafumi Sekine, the creative mind behind Meagratia. Recently, we had the opportunity learn more about his brand.

In search of good design, which doesn’t necessarily belong to the mainstream fashion universe, we discovered Meagratia, a Japanese brand with a subtle sense of fashion and uncommon creativity.

The brand imagery is modern but somehow delicate. Indeed, it plays with a genderless and timeless aesthetic through a contemporary perspective. So, a unique take on where style flows without constraints.

Takafumi Sekine – Meagratia: the interview


Discover more about the designer universe:

• What is your background?
Takafumi Sekine: “I started Meagratia because I wanted to create for others the joy I felt when I wore my favourite clothes as a student. I design interesting things by fusing the history and birth of fashion with modern sensibilities.”

• How would you describe your brand identity?
Takafumi Sekine: “Meagratia creates clothes that the wearers can enjoy in their own way.”

An interview with Takafumi Sekine


• It seems that flowers are a recurring inspiration. Right?
Takafumi Sekine: “Flowers are precious and change, not only when they are in bloom but also as dried flowers. Meagratia creations suggest a quality that changes with time but does not wither.”

• We notice many details in your garments. How do they contribute to your sense of design?
Takafumi Sekine: “It all starts with the desire to create something interesting and new. I take inspiration from various sources and I incorporate them into my design. So, using many details and variations allows a wider range of wearing styles and unusual ways of presenting them.”

• Why do you use the Sakiori technique (rag weaving) for your collection?
Takafumi Sekine: “For our Autumn/Winter knitwear, we created an upcycled design using surplus fabrics. However, the technology and attitude of the factory we work with towards new things are also excellent and play an important role in our collaboration.”

• What do you think about the fashion industry now?
Takafumi Sekine: “On the positive side, both industry and consumers have more choices nowadays, but on the other hand, there are some difficulties. I believe that the consumerist society is gradually changing these days. But I am also concerned about the ageing of craftspeople with excellent skills and the problem of passing these important skills down.”

Meagratia, cool design #formodernhumans


We hope you enjoyed our interview with Takafumi Sekine. Meagratia’s design is cool, and the quality is excellent. The clothes communicate timelessness. Boundaries, male or female, are blurred, but the style is never jarring for whoever wears them. 

Ultimately, there is a sense of freedom in Takafumi Sekine’s vision, which allows people who wear his clothes to create their personal style. The real essence of fashion.

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