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Italy is home to many under-the-radar brands that have earned quite a reputation as the go-to label for wardrobe staples and luxury casual wear to mix and match with more fashion-forward items.
Fashion consumers may wear a la Prada romper suit or a cropped blazer as seen on the Fendi catwalk, but there is also a more quotidian need to be met: dress in fashion that makes the wearer look and feel comfortable, with the added value of Made in Italian quality.
Among the brands responding to this need is Slowear, which has set its sights on international expansion and opening stores even during the pandemic — the brand is gearing up to launch a second unit in Manhattan to flanking its current New York locations of SoHo and Brooklyn. Slowear is more of an incubator for affordable luxury brands under its umbrella, from pants makers Incotex and Zanone for knitwear, to shirt maker Glanshirt and outerwear brand Montedoro.
“Formal wear as we used to know it may be lost forever and replaced with more technical and performance-based items,” said company CEO Roberto Compagno at the brand’s showroom. Cue a variety of suits with drawstring pants worn with a simple white T-shirt and a light duster coat in a tartan pattern and made of stretchy, wrinkle-free technical fabric.
Spring Men Slow 2022
Curtesy from Slowear
Zanone’s knitwear expertise — a strong category in menswear for several seasons — is highlighted in jersey knitwear made from high-quality Ice Cotton offered in a wide color palette, while chinos and Bermuda are casual, with the brand going almost entirely slim first to suit a wider silhouette. This blend builds a casual and refined wardrobe for the contemporary man, who may not be looking to wear a suit and tie anytime soon and will probably trade it for a piece from Incotex’s recently launched Blue Division, a luxury denim line launched under license to Giada Spa.
Traveling opposite from the US to Italy in search of premium fabrics and Italian manufacturing quality, Brett Johnson presented his luxury collection in the brand’s showroom in the center of Via Manzoni, opened in 2019. His attention to detail and knowledge of yarns and materials stands out in a spring line that is all about the relaxed and laid back attitude of the Milanese.
Inspired by the cobbled streets of Portofino, Johnson worked a diamond-shaped quilted effect on a buttery soft cashmere suede varsity jacket, while T-shirts in various neutral tones and aquamarine greens were elevated bases crafted from sea island cotton. The brand’s luxury casual wear—sometimes infused with sportswear references—is fully featured on a silk seersucker blazer paired with denim pants featuring real horn buttons and on a honeywax-coated solaro field jacket.
Brett Johnson Spring Men 2022
Riccardo Vimercati/Courtesy of Brett Johnson
After allowing the lease for his Manhattan store to expire as the pandemic spreads, Johnson is now preparing to open his first international store in Dubai by the end of the year. While acknowledging that his business was hit by the pandemic, he offered that “luxury has seen a sharp rebound.” To be sure, its relaxed luxury collection has a lot to offer for high-spending customers.
At Eleventy, Marco Baldassari, the brand’s founder and creative director of menswear, also said he was “optimistic, confident and positive and, after a long season of sports and activewear, we [returning] to rediscover pure elegance.”
“The pleasures of new freedom and the desire to take care of yourself are bringing the blazer back to the center of our wardrobe,” she added. For spring, the men’s staple is made ultra-lightweight that’s meant to be worn even outside the office, for occasions like the gateway to summer weekends or hitting the gym.
Spring Eleventy Men 2022
Courtesy of Eleventy
A light seersucker blazer jacket is layered over a denim shirt and paired with chinos or even comfortable fleece shorts, while the double-breasted option has a laid-back style, ideal for a return to the “aperitivo” style.
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