Munich/Florence. MINI is presenting a limited-run
sweatshirt collection at the 90th Pitti Uomo in Florence – one of the
most important international fairs for men’s fashion and contemporary
lifestyle. The MINI FLUID FASHION Capsule Collection developed with
five young, innovative labels consists of five sweatshirts displaying
five distinct designs. “The MINI brand has acted as a standard-bearer
for iconic design and individual lifestyles since its earliest days.
Driving a MINI is a statement of style and identity, which is one
reason why the brand has had a close connection with the fashion world
since the 1960s,” explains Esther Bahne, Head of Brand Strategy and
Business Innovation at MINI. With the MINI Gentleman’s Collection, a
six-item range of accessories for the modern chap still fresh in the
mind, this year MINI is showing an all-sweatshirt collection. The MINI
FLUID FASHION Capsule Collection is limited to 200 pieces per design
and available exclusively from Luisa Via Roma’s online store from mid-June.
MINI FLUID FASHION: Bold meets genderless.
Design collaborations have always been an important tool for MINI
when it comes to developing its perspectives on fashion and design
and, in so doing, making new discoveries. To this end, MINI FLUID
FASHION combines the design expertise of MINI with strong input from
young labels based in five different countries. The selected designers
have translated the optimistic, open attitude of the MINI brand into
modish statements on sweatshirts designed by MINI. It is an approach
emphasised by the choice of the sweatshirt as the canvas for the
designs. A sweatshirt is something both men and women can wear and is
one of the most “democratic” and ubiquitous items of clothing out
there. It exists in a place beyond categorisation, as a fashion
classic equally at home on the street or in collections from major
designers. MINI has also gone its own, unconventional way in the
fashion designers it has selected for the job at hand. Their latest
collections brim with exciting designs, challenge assumptions and, in
the process, overcome barriers within our minds. HIEN LE (Germany),
Agi Sam (UK), Études Studio (France), SANKUANZ (China) and
Sunnei (Italy) all created one sweatshirt each.
HIEN LE, Germany.
Berlin’s own HIEN LE prioritises subtle lines and well
thought-through design. His commitment to simplicity, style and
quality translates into creations which are in equal measure at the
cutting edge of the times and timeless. For the MINI FLUID FASHION
Capsule Collection he brought together Instagram’s “like” heart – an
expression of appreciation in the digital age – with the guiding theme
of his latest collection: the negative form. “For me, MINI FLUID
FASHION is about boundlessness, courage and, above all, love,” he
says. “These are things that have always been big for me and are now
more important than ever.”
Études Studio, France.
Alongside their work as designers, Études reflect the fashion
landscape through various projects and releases. Their cross-platform
work is headlined by bold experiments and collaborations, and their
design for the MINI FLUID FASHION Capsule Collection displays their
visionary style in an essential form: “The phrase ‘out of the blue’
refers to the notion of the unexpected and spontaneous, with the
ability to see positivity and optimism in everything. ‘Out of the
blue’ represents the beauty that comes from the moments and places
where it is least expected. The phrase represents Études’ ethos as a
brand and creative collective.”
Agi Sam, Britain.
London-based Agi Sam are firm believers in “never taking
fashion too seriously”. The two designers invigorate their creativity
with flashes of humour but then switch to a very serious dedication to
in-depth research and application to take it forward. For the MINI
FLUID FASHION Capsule Collection, Agi Sam have stayed true to
their penchant for contrasting and vibrant design to blend
eye-catching colours with minimalist lines. This combination is
expressed in geometric patterns, with a nod to the work of a true
crosser of frontiers, Gunta Stölzl. The German artist made her name as
the first female Master in the male-dominated Bauhaus movement.
SANKUANZ, China.
Hallmarks of SANKUANZ design include daring and brightly coloured
designs, in which unconventional patterns converge with sometimes
conflicting elements to make high-end collections. Its genderless
creations combine often traditional elements with modern details. And
so it is with SANKUANZ’s design for the MINI FLUID FASHION Capsule
Collection, which fuses the aesthetic of classical, Chinese comics
from the 1980s with the colour-rich, contemporary SANKUANZ logo and a
classic Mini as a symbol of a more friendly, more colourful approach
to urban living.
Sunnei, Italy.
Sunnei was one of the major discoveries – for MINI and others – at
“The Latest Fashion Buzz”, a talent project hosted by Pitti Uomo 89
early this year. The Sunnei guys brought their own approach to the
MINI FLUID FASHION Capsule Collection: “We are obsessed with stripes
and that’s why we decided to match them with our motto ‘every day I
wear Sunnei’, that is about being confident with your style without
caring about trends. We love the fact that if you see these graphics
from afar, they look like a Vichy pattern and then when you get closer
you discover what it means. That’s our message; that it’s time to look
at details and stop for a minute to discover what every single piece
of our collection means.”
MINI and Pitti Immagine.
Pitti Immagine is a fashion-focused fair held in Italy every
year. And the Pitti Uomo show, which focuses exclusively on men’s
fashion, has taken place in Florence twice every year since 1972. The
events promote young, aspiring and sometimes unconventional fashion
labels. The collaboration between MINI and Pitti Immagine, which has
been running since January 2015, spans a range of projects. One of the
major talents identified by MINI and Pitti at the 87th Pitti Uomo was
young designer Alberto Premi, who subsequently presented his
innovative shoe collection in a Special MINI Edition at the Salone del
Mobile in April 2015. MINI provided evidence of how its philosophy has
spread beyond the automotive world at Pitti Uomo 88 in June 2015.
There, MINI teamed up with six talented young Italians to design the
MINI Gentleman’s Collection – a six-item Capsule Collection combining
Italian craftsmanship with creative and innovative details. MINI and
Pitti joined forces once again at Pitti 89 in January 2016 to advance
the cause of international fashion talents. MINI used the occasion to
debut “The Latest Fashion Buzz”, a platform showcasing a selection of
international designers who bring new and modern ideas to the menswear sector.