Missonisation: Missoni Menswear A/W 2012-13

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I'm republishing today an interview with Angela Missoni that I recently did for another publication.

The hats donned by the models during Missoni’s Autum/Winter 2012-13 menswear collection show may have called to mind gardeners and fishermen while the zigzagging motifs that turned into undulating waves on some of the jumpers echoed maybe nautical inspirations.

Yet, by looking slightly better at the Argyle and Aran sweaters or the Harrington jackets, you realised the designs betrayed a sort of Northern – at times Scottish (perfectly understandable since in 1982 Ottavio and Rosita did the costumes for Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor”...) – inspiration.

The British touch and the traditions were revisited in typical Missoni style, though, with colours and patterns turning into the main reference points and into the backbone of the collection, while high-tech nylon jackets and bombers with jacquard prints or with wintry landscapes and Converse Auckland Racers footwear introduced technology and a sporty touch to Angela Missoni's wardrobe for men.

Missoni’s “put together” turned into an exercise in overlapping and layering with models wearing striped sweaters, checkered designs, cardigans and herringbone parkas in an earthy palette one on top of the other, matched at times with velvet-like trousers in mohair.

Crocheted elements in reflective or coloured yarns peeked from under the various layers, breaking the rhythm of the safe autumnal palette and giving a sparkle of eccentricity to the pieces.

What are your first impressions about Missoni’s Autumn/Winter 2012-13 menswear collection?
Angela Missoni: One thing is preparing the collection, another is seeing the designs taking life on the runway and I must admit that only after re-watching the video of the show I felt genuinely happy about the final results.

Can you introduce us the collection?
Angela Missoni: For this collection we moved to England and injected a sort of British flair into our garments, reinventing the Harrington jacket and adopting English motifs such as the checks. Missoni’s Autumn/Winter 2012-13 man looks reassuring, but he is still eccentric and he expresses his humour, personality and style through the pieces that he chooses for his wardrobe.

Did you use any luxurious yarns for this collection?
Angela Missoni: There are always luxurious yarns in our collections, from mohair to cashmere. But in this specific collection there is a lot of velvet, so we devised a mohair-based velvet that is very soft to the touch and has the final effect of a devore velvet. We always try to add some innovative fibres, though: in this collection there is a tiny eccentric motif around the collars, a crocheted detail in a reflective yarn, representing a romantic touch in our technological age, and looking a bit like a precious piece of jewellery peeking out from the different layers of knits.

While designing the menswear collections, do you ever set yourself any specific aims and objectives?
Angela Missoni: Yes, during the last few seasons I have literally tried to create - almost 'build' from scratch, I would say - a man’s wardrobe. You see, a man’s wardrobe doesn’t change as fast as a woman’s and I like thinking that our man can add each season another garment to his existing wardrobe, opting maybe for a garment with a different silhouette or shape or a new blouse or accessory. I constantly try to add things that were missing in the previous season. For what regards the Autumn/Winter 2012-13 collection, we added more outerwear pieces and nylon designs, but, as usual, they were revisited and went through a 'Missonisation' process.

What excites you about creating a man’s wardrobe?
Angela Missoni: The fact that, as I said, the designs you create do have a longer life compared to a woman’s wardrobe, so they allow you to leave a tangible trace of your work and the wearer often grows fond of a specific item or garment and keeps it forever.

In which way are you planning to project into the future the vision of the Missoni fashion house?
Angela Missoni: You must always have some reference points in your life and our reference point is knitwear. So bringing the house into the future for us means working on our traditions with a tad of optimism, always doing our jobs at our best even in a moment of crisis.

Which piece would you steal from this collection and add to your own wardrobe?
Angela Missoni: The blazers. They’re unisex and I’m wearing one at the moment tied around my waist.

The shoes in the collection were created in collaboration with Converse, can you tell me more about them?
Angela Missoni: The Converse Auckland Racers feature a Lurex-based metal yarn that gives out reflective shades. We started making the prototypes for these shoes last year for 2012, the year of the Olympic Games, since they are basically sport shoes.

Are you working towards further collaborations this year?
Angela Missoni: The collaboration with Havaianas will continue for another season with new products. At the moment I’m busy with a different kind of ‘collaboration’, though, my daughter Margherita’s wedding. I must admit that, in a way, I’m not too worried, since we have acquired different skills in the family and one of them is organising parties and events, so I guess we are psychologically and physically trained also for this new challenge!