Back in the throes of lockdown, the appointment of Nicola Brognano as the new creative director of Blumarine went largely unnoticed (there were other things on our minds, after all). Yet, the first collection he presented, albeit through a lookbook, signalled a shift in the typically classical landscape of Italian fashion. Butterfly belts! Y2K-inspired low-slung cargo pants! More rhinestones than Paris Hilton’s bathroom (probably)! It instantly struck a chord with a collective post-pandemic desire for sexy, upbeat clothes to go out-out in, loaded with the Tumblr-era references cropping up on countless TikToks among a generation nostalgically looking to the messy tabloid era of the 2000s. It crystallised fashion’s current mood for reviving the best (or arguably the worst, in that good taste/bad taste way) from a decade defined by its constant swinging between high and low. And arguably, it’s the reason you’ve been searching for vintage Blumarine on Depop.
For Nicola, it made sense considering Blumarine’s history. Back in the 90s, the label founded by Anna Molinari in Capri had Linda, Naomi, Carla et al strutting down its runways in cashmere bikinis, mink-trimmed cardigans and flirty, fun clothes that came to life in campaigns lensed by Helmut Newton and Ellen von Unwerth. A child of the 90s (he’s 31 years old), Nicola grew up seeing it in the pages of his older sister’s copies of Vogue Italia, and by the time he had got some experience under his Butterfly-encrusted belt working for Giambattista Valli in Paris, he was eager to delve into his childhood memories for his take on Blumarine.
“The day before the show, I wanted to cancel the Butterfly look because I felt it might be too girly and not so much the Blumarine feeling I wanted to show, but all my team prayed for me to put it in and it ended up being one of the best looks – it’s very Y2K style and represents what I want to do and show for Blumarine,” he says. “I feel like it’s new to show this period, which I grew up with.” While in London for a whirlwind trip, ahead of fitting Dua Lipa for costumes for her Italian tour, Nicola sat down with us to discuss some of his favourite Blumarine looks thus far. Watch the video below to find out more.
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