“The change will not come if you wait for another person or another moment. We are the ones we were waiting for. We are the change we want.” With this quote from Barack Obama, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino’s creative director, announced his latest collection for ski jacket and activewear luxury brand Moncler, within the Moncler Genius project. The collection titled, Couture that connects cultures, was created in collaboration with the Ethiopian supermodel and activist, Liya Kebede.
Pierpaolo’s creativity and Liya’s exclusive patterns make up the unique vision for the new Moncler Genius collection shown during Milan Fashion Week.
Spectators at the exhibition were greeted by majestic creations which featured triumphal conical jackets adorned with hoods and decorated with inlays made by mimicking the drawings of the African artisans of lemlem, the brand owned by Liya.
Some of the models that are already Pierpaolo’s head mannequins appeared in the line up: Adut Akech, Sabah Koj, Fatou Jobe, Ugbad Abdi, Eftagine Fevilien, Assa Baradji, Ajak Deng, Grace Bol, Ayak Veronica, Akiima Ajak and Aube Jolicoeur. They are, in their own right, the face of the last revolution. That which ruins any trace of discrimination in the most exclusive and elitist segment of the industry, that of high fashion.
According to Pierpaolo,
“I am after a balance of dreaminess, extravagance and soulfulness. I involved Liya Kebede, who is an active supporter of African artisans with her label lemlem, in the process, creating something true to her, to Moncler and to my own sensibility. Connecting diversities is my idea of inclusive creativity.”
According to Liya Kebede,
“There is no better way to show how time-honoured traditions, like our lemlem artisans’ work, have a place in modern fashion than this partnership, working with Pierpaolo and Moncler. I was honoured to be a part of this creative process, bringing together heritages that at first glimpse seemed so different but when unexpectedly combined, create something so rich and new, redefining beauty and reminding us that there are no borders in life.”
Here’s a look at other majestic pieces from the Moncler Genius x Liya Kebede collaboration…
Photo credit: Moncler.com
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