October 14, 2020 |
Autumn has (sadly) arrived and if you’re anything like us, you’re probably on the hunt for some new clobber to brighten up your mood. Nothing better than a bit of retail therapy when the weather’s grim, ey? If you’re looking to shop, now’s perfect timing to invest in an emerging, independent brand – and we’re putting our money on Magliano.
Cooking up a steady mix of strong, Italian tailoring with street centric wearability, founder Luca Magliano set out to create a brand in 2016 that alters the fundamentals of the modern man’s wardrobe. Based in Bologna, Magliano muses the “anti-heroes” of the Italian Provincia (which means suburbs), and the magic that exists within peripheral areas of the country, explains the designer.
“Basically [the brand] is about treating the stereotyped ideal of manhood with wild irony,” says Magliano, who grew up a Franco Moschino superfan. “I believe [Moschino] teaches some important fashion lessons: there is no elegance without a sense of humour, weird is the most efficient of all the styles and no one should be scared of feeling ridiculous because, in the end, bad taste only lies in bad ideas.”
With a whopping 27 stockists worldwide, you can currently find pieces from Magliano’s autumn/winter 2020 collection in Spain, Hawaiin, Beijing and of course, Italy. Entitled Mediterranean Goth, the collection is a “smoky and romantic celebration of what is dark in Southern European cultures,” says the designer. Looking specifically at La Movida Madrileña – the Spanish countercultural movement that took place in Madrid following Fransisco Franco’s death in 1975 – Magliano crafted boxy suits in awkward proportions, logo-stamped, mohair jumpers and clunky snakeskin boots. A series of stand-out waistcoats come scribbled in child-like etchings and hypnotic, grungy spirals – embodying a wardrobe that feels as unsettling as it does desirable.
“[The collection] is a nocturnal vision in between absurd and plausible, where clothes appear as summoned spirits,” explains Magliano. “It wanted to give the sense of a ritual.” Tantalising tailoring with a spooky flair, move over Hot Topic – the goth’s all grown up, and he’s found his new wardrobe.
Photography by Thomas Hauser.
