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Vintage, not a mere “USED”

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Treasure hunting: appreciating the sentimental value behind clothes


In Japan, the age of 20 is a big year. We get many gifts and blessings from parents, grandparents, relatives, and literally everyone we know. When I turned 20, my parents asked me what I wanted for my 20 years celebration. A new bag, dress, shoes…? Perhaps that’s what they were expecting me to say.

However, I said I wanted my dad’s pair of jeans and my mom’s trench coat. Since my teenage years, I have always enjoyed sneaking into my parent’s closets and randomly trying on their clothes. (I hope they are not reading this blog…) For me, their closet was a load of excitement, like a treasure box.

Vintage has a STORY


My dad gave me a pair of jeans from Gianfranco Ferre. He bought it when he visited Italy 30 years ago. It was the first trip to Europe with my mom, he said.
My mom then gave me a trench coat from Burberry. This was what my dad gifted to her 30 years ago.

These two pieces have some personal stories connected with my parents. They aged with them.
Yet, my parents were happy to give them to me because they liked how their favourite pieces would be worn more frequently, rather than being just stuffed in the closet.

Aged, but never actually
Even after 30 years, they are perfectly holding up. The shape and colour beautifully remain. Because of their high quality, they last over decades, and their value never fades.

I love my parent’s vintage items not just because they are “vintage”, but I do enjoy wearing them because I am giving a new life to the pieces of clothing, which is something truly special.

I brought them here in Italy, and guess what? I went to my first fashion show in Italy with my coolest one. The first pair of jeans my dad bought here 30 years ago.
I can’t wait for another 30 years with these two pieces.

So what is your story with your vintage items?

✍️ A piece written by Kotono Sakai, a Japanese girl studying history and fashion at Cattolica university in Milan and interning for suite123

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The Striped T-shirt by ZUCCa

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A classic with a modern twist


Today, we introduce one of our favourite items for the new Spring/Summer 22 season: The Striped T-Shirt by ZUCCa, Japan.

We still name items by the season, as is the convention. But of course, the garments we select do not have any expiry date. We will never stop saying this, it’s a fundamental concept. Indeed, we firmly believe that you/we have to wear the clothing we purchase as long as possible. For a lifetime, because that’s the purpose of buying quality pieces. Also, it’s not a marketing trend for us. In fact, we have repeated those words since our very first beginning about sixteen years ago. And it’s not about being ahead, but having a deep sense of value and respect for what we do.

Discover The Striped T-shirt: for stripes lovers


This top is a real classic, and it’s made special by a unique design. Yes, you can find striped t-shirts, but it’s way more difficult to find a good design associated with them.

The Striped T-shirt
The Striped T-shirt – by ZUCCa


About the design
Made of Basque cotton material with a border that gives a little elasticity, this top has three-quarter sleeves and a boat neckline. The three-dimensional silhouette with a narrow hem pushes the seemingly simple cut-and-sew to the leading role. In other words, it’s a basic that stands out. Easy to wear, comfortable, and easy-care but really cool.

About the material
The material is a matte, striped Basque cotton, of an average thickness and slightly elasticized.

About the colour
Beige and black border, because we wanted to offer you something different. Moreover, it’s easy to mix and match.

Laundry
Hand washable.
This item can be hand-washed at home.

Put on The Striped T-shirt, and you’ll get an extra dose of style right away.

We invite you to contact us for any further information, we are happy to assist you.

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Fashion Week Frontier

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Which medium will survive?


General Fashion Week Playbook

Over several decades, the fashion industry has evolved in so many ways. The female silhouette has transformed from lung crushing corsets and 19th-century victorian buns to genderless streetstyle and avant-garde designs.

Brands have progressed in their method of garment innovation. Yet since the first catwalk show by Lady Duff Gordon in 1901, runway innovations have only advanced in the context of event design. Designers and brands had decided to keep the mediums of runway shows and video promotions completely separate.

Runway shows are so 2019

If we normalize sustainability, why is the mass waste of a fashion show not considered as a drastic factor taking part in unnecessary waste?

After seeing most daily activities turn to the remote medium, why is a runway show one of the only things left behind for deep discussion and debate?
Just because something from the past was so universally enjoyed, doesn’t mean it’s required to remain the same and be the exception to a painfully corrupted system.

The new Fashion Week medium

Fashion premiered through short films

As a matter of fact, we are in a society where creative innovation is crucial. And not only for progressing as a population but for general survival. Aside from the world of technology, the fashion industry hosts some of the most innovative and open-minded thinkers of our lifetime. There is no satisfaction in sedimentary and placid thinking. Consistent change is expected and embraced. So why have we suddenly decided to halt our experiments here? At a time when it is most vital for the progression of an industry.

We are now entering a new industry era of fashion trailers. Short films, produced to showcase a designer’s newest collection in a way that emphasizes the brand image and what future they’d like the consumer to expect.

Of course, many are hesitant about this idea. This era will be the test that determines who are the true lovers of design and creativity. And who participate just to gain social media followers and views.

✍️ A piece written by Gavriel Ewart. An American girl studying fashion and communication at Cattolica university in Milan and interning for suite123

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Milano Fashion Week 2022

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The return of physical events and a strange virus affecting the industry


Milano Fashion Week 2022, marking the return of physical events, was anticipated to symbolise the relaunch of both the economy and creativity. But did it live up to expectations? And what were the key themes that emerged?

Fall/Winter 2022 trends

90’s
The nineties were the common thread seen almost everywhere. Indeed, as a reflection of society, fashion—like history—tends to repeat itself.

“Balenciagitis”
While the pandemic seems under control, another highly infectious virus spread among designers. This virus is called “Balenciagitis.” When designers are affected, they create tons of exaggerated shoulders and extremized silhouettes–of which you do not understand the point.

Raf Simons has been strongly infected, indeed you could see it in the Prada fashion show. Since the co-designing collaboration has started, Prada stopped dictating trends, as always did, and now follows the others.
However, even Dolce and Gabbana were infected, we hope someone will soon find a cure for it.

Co-branding
Collab with sports brands, or flea market outfits with the plus of co-branding. That’s what Gucci did with Adidas. Right, nothing new in the end. Just branding.

Milano Fashion Week 22


Genderless
In January 2020, Stefano Pilati presented at Pitti his independent brand, Random Identities. The collection showed a few tailored pieces in a genderless key. About two years later, the creatives who create when something is already created, discovered the trend. Hey, all brands went genderless!

Sustainability
Round tables, talks, shows. Every single brand is sustainable! And the more they talk about it, the less they offer value. Moreover, “sustainable designers” and those who have hands in that industry offer something unattainable. Just smoke in the eye, generating a big misleading business.

Inclusion
What is the line between inclusivity and bad taste? This point is not clear to us. In fact, in many shows which focused on this topic, bad taste stood out.

Milano Fashion Week 2022 favourites


Our favourites
Jil Sander was one of the few fashion shows we enjoyed. We didn’t see much of Jil Sander in that, but, at least, we saw beautiful, well-made clothes developed in a coherent collection.

Bottega Veneta: iconic accessories, clean lines clothing with a high-end impact. Beautiful design, but no logo shown, no sensationalism. The essence of modern elegance and luxury. Bravo, Matthieu Blazy!

Milano Fashion Week 2022 revelaed that it is not a favorable time for creativity or the economy. And so, a cultured audience has to dig a lot to find value. Because worthwhile designers, rather than being part of that inconsistent game, avoid communicating at all.

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It’s war! The World We Don’t Want

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Can fashion stay relevant during a war next to our door?


It’s war! Yesterday we awoke with a clear feeling of insanity and disgust as the first news we heard in the morning told us that Russia declared war on Ukraine.

From the end of the Cold War to the onset of a real war


The news sent us back to the past. It felt like a flashback to 1985, the year Sting released the song Russians. We were teenagers then, and music was the center of our universe. That song had a profound impact on us. By the way, the world was nearing the end of the Cold War.

Russians lyrics came to our mind evoking sad thoughts:
“In Europe and America, there’s a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets.”

Nothing has changed over time, nor can we say humanity has ever learned anything from past events—most of which were man-made disgraces. In fact, humans keep on repeating the same mistakes over and over again, and perhaps we like it too.

war


The backdrop of Milano Fashion Week


Against this backdrop of horrible events, we should talk about Milano Fashion Week, and to be honest, it doesn’t come so easy.

The first impression we have is that the language has become cloying. All the wording, from sustainability to diversity, from inclusion to genderless, flooded the industry and flattened the proposals. These empty claims seem to depict a fake universe detached from reality. In the end, brands follow one another without having a real character that makes them unique.

“Balenciagitis” is a kind of contagious phenomenon which has affected many brands, depriving them of their core identity.

The mood so far seemed very 90’s: tank tops, layering, see-through dresses.

However, Putin’s frightening words and actions today resonate with us more than fashion does. So, we turn to Sting’s song once again:

“There’s no such thing as a winnable war
It’s a lie we don’t believe anymore!”

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