The Mind-Blowing Moments From The Mondogenius Event By Moncler
For almost an hour on September 25, Moncler brought creatives from the realms of fashion, art and music – and audiences from around the globe on a whirlwind trip called Mondogenius.
Moncler's presentations at Milan Fashion Week are quite the spectacle – remember the snow angel choreography reflected on a ginormous mirror for Fall/Winter 2018? These conceptual shows are part of the luxury winter wear specialist's ambitions to rewrite the rules of fashion.
For the uninitiated, here's a crash course on the Moncler universe – lest you think all the brand does are down jackets and winter wear. For a start, Moncler Collection is the bread and butter of the company, churning out seasonal ready-to-wear collection and accessories from bags to shoes. For ski- and sports-skewed fits, the brand offers its Moncler Grenoble line which is more performance-geared.
READ MORE: What To Make Of Creative Directors Today? Moncler’s Veronica Leoni Shares Her P.O.V.
There is also its much hyped-about Moncler Genius project which sees collaborations with designers dropping in stores throughout the year. Among the brands which have collaborated on Moncler Genius are Rick Owens, Valentino and Richard Quinn. Some like JW Anderson and Simone Rocha have been on board the Moncler Genius train for more than one season.
Since its start in 2018, the Moncler Genius project has seen collaborations with well-known designers such as (clockwise from top left) Veronica Leoni, Craig Green, Jonathan Anderson and Hiroshi Fujiwara.
For 2021, three new names join the Moncler Genius roster. They are Japanese fashion label Hyke which is known for its utilitarian and workwear-inspired desings; South Korean cutting-edge eyewear specialist Gentle Monster; and the buzzy Chinese designer DingYun Zhang.
READ MORE: Moncler’s New Singapore Flagship Store Might Just Win The Retail Game
In an interview with FEMALE in 2018, Moncler's CEO and creative director Remo Ruffini shared how tapping outside brands to create these special collections keeps the consumer wanting more. “Moncler Genius is our vision of the future; a vision that goes beyond seasons to establish a daily dialogue with the consumers through the monthly drops,” he said.
Moncler's CEO and creative director Remo Ruffini (left) and Mondogenius co-host Alicia Keys.
With travel – at least in the countries that have reopened – starting to pick up, the prospect of packing for winter climates and the snow slopes have become a reality for most. A July 2021 report in The Washington Post stated how travel insurance policies are selling briskly in America and how the confidence of travellers has seen a rise in bookings more than 50 days in advance of their travel date.
READ MORE: Exclusive: Richard Quinn On How He Lived Out His Sci-Fi Fantasy With The Moncler Tie-Up
Meanwhile, Singapore's The Business Times reported in July that Singapore Airlines expects to serve around 50 per cent of the points that were part of its passenger network before the onset of the pandemic.
Singer-songwriter Solange Knowles, performed and presented the 2 Moncler 1952 Woman by Veronica Leoni in New York for the Mondogenius event.
For about 40 minutes on September 25, Moncler provided us all a momentary escape – and bent time – through a global virtual event it dubbed Mondogenius. Co-hosted by Grammy-winning artist Alicia Keys in Milan and Chinese actress-slash-singer Victoria Song in Shanghai, the live event took viewers on a whirlwind tour around the globe across five different cities to showcase new collections in its universe.
In an interview with Highsnobiety on the eve of Mondogenius, Ruffini said the event will be the dose of reinvigoration the fashion industry needs at the moment.
"What I realised, especially in the last 18 months with Covid, was that people want more information. My dream is to build something like a festival of different industries," he said. "It’s honestly not 100 percent under control as it’s about broadcasting across every continent and [with activations] across five cities around the world, but I think this could be the next step for the future of Genius."
READ MORE: The Moncler X Rick Owens Collaboration Is Finally Here
The cities – Milan, Shanghai, Seoul, New York and Tokyo – each showcased a different curatorial experience customised for each collection.
For instance, Jonathan Anderson presented his third outing with 1 Moncler JW Anderson through an installation in Milan at the members-only cinema Il Cinemino that screened a delicate short film by Luca Giacomo. Streetwear icon Hiroshi Fujiwara, meanwhile, showcased his 7 Moncler Frgmt designs through a segment in Shanghai presented by Chinese architect Qi Shanshan.
Ahead we suss out some of the big moments that happened during Mondogenius. Buckle up.
How do you showcase a ski line in the middle of the city? For the showcase of 3 Moncler Grenoble – presented by three members of 11-man C-pop group Into1 – viewers were transported to an industrial area of Shanghai.
They were greeted by the sight of 12 performers dressed in pieces from the collection performing gravity-defying manoeuvre above three wind tunnels, as the city's neon-lit skyscrapers beckon in the background.
DingYun Zhang is the Central Saint Martins alum and former Yeezy shoe designer who has achieved a cult status for his sculptural and amorphous silhouettes and Instagram cachet. All these reasons make Zhang's collaboration for the Moncler Genius project a perfect fit.
Dubbed Moncler + DingYun Zhang, the presentation was staged in an ethereal underwater landscape. Models were swathed in colourful layers of puffer coats and down jackets, while standing on what is meant to be a submerged iceberg – a poetic metaphor Zhang uses to showcase life in extreme environments exists.
Korean eyewear label Gentle Monster held the presentation to debut its Moncler + Gentle Monster collection in Seoul's Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The sleek futuristic show was presented by K-pop star Hwang Minhyun (pictured) and model-actress Lee Sungkyung.
The all-black collection brings to life Gentle Monster's perspective towards the way our society measures emotions in the current digital age. The motif of 'swiping' appeared throughout the segment – from the series of images that beamed on the screen to an eyewear design with a swiping digital function on its temples.
Frequent Moncler Genius collaborator Matthew Williams of 1017 ALYX 9SM turned his presentation into a musical performance starring Texas rapper Teezo Touchdown.
The musician, known for his trademark wig of nails, debuted his new single I'm Just A Fan with a set that bordered on the surreal. The rapper, who was dressed in a coat by Williams, was surrounded by 30 electrical fans as he crooned. Pieces of nails started falling off his head along the way as his arms started whirring.
Well sort of. The car is the art installation Fat Mini. It is by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm who is known for his "fat cars" series which blows up the proportions of ordinary motorcars as an exploration of weight gain and consumerism.
Wurm's shocking pink iteration for Moncler is reminiscent of the brand's signature puffer fabric and is all part of an art exhibition that designer Sergio Zambon created to accompany his 2 Moncler 1952 Man collection. Held at Milan’s Central Station, the showcase also features other works by Andrea Anastasio and Prem Sahib who created items like desks and vases for the outing.
These objects will be auctioned on Artsy that runs from now until October 11 . Proceeds will go towards non-profit Free The Work, which promotes an inclusive and diverse creative industry through the hiring of BIPOC and transgender crew members for film, television, and advertising.