I've often thought that the fashion industry could be a genuinely amazing place where all sorts of creative minds could work together. Yet the modern fashion industry is also sickeningly vapid and, the more you spot sloppy and lazy examples of fashion on the runways, the more you realise that the circle of stupidity must be broken as soon as possible.
If you want an example look no further than Massimo Giorgetti's MSGM Men's A/W 2018 collection: an ode to college life, Milan and its young inhabitants, the collection was staged at Milan's Università Statale and it was modelled by boys picked from local universities. A great idea with a very honorable aim - presenting real consumers rather than emaciated models.
Giorgetti also spun an interesting story around an imaginary educational institution - the University of Causality - populated by different types - from poets, nerds, hippies and eccentrics to bland bravi ragazzi.
Clothes-wise there were some references to the '80s (warning: the cringing trend for sweaters tied across the body and the waist may return...), but most looks had a '90s touch about them, especially for what regarded the silhouettes of trousers and jackets (see the high-waisted denim jogging pants). American college styles prevailed in the colour palette, but there were also references to workwear.
Some ironic garments such as a shirt and a long-sleeved top featured graffiti slogans of the type you may find on the walls of school bathrooms.
One read "Pisellove", a corruption of the "Peace and Love" slogan (and possibly a pun with the Italian slang word "pisello", cock), another was emblazoned with the words "Ge Tem", Italianised version of the French "Je t'aime". So street, so preppy and so fun, isn't it?
Shame, though, that the slogans or, in the first case, the entire picture printed on the shirt, were lifted from the Internet. The "Pisellove" image is a staple on Instagram, but also on the "Facciabuco" site (a supposedly satirical but veritably idiotic Italianised version of Facebook), where you can also spot the graffiti for the second design (in the complete image it was accompanied by the Italianised version of "I Love You"). Giorgetti even reproduced the same graphic style on the shirt in question (I mean, seriously?)
It is obvious that, when something is popular on the social networks, it may become a real craze in real life helping you increasing sales, but randomly lifting stuff from the Internet is not going to take you anywhere. While in this case we may not talk about copyright infringement (unless the person who first took the "Pisellove" image comes forward and claims it as their picture...), it is the proof of pure laziness, it is indeed as if Giorgetti thought you don't need to produce outstanding garments since young people are so stupid to splash money on designer versions of silly slogan T-shirts.
Apparently, the research for this collection consisted in an on-field exploration that prompted the team to look at school desks and bathroom walls, but maybe it just came from sitting in front of a computer screen. You wished Giorgetti hadn't just done the casting at universities, but had also been advised by real students when it came to the creation of original slogans.
Lacking rebellion and originality, these garments prompt you to think that if this is the fashion system, then the industry should die tomorrow. Mind you, in one thing Giorgetti was right, he printed the slogan "Tempo di cambiare" on some of his designs. He's right, it's totally time to change.
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