Moncler is an eclectic brand — it can be worn anywhere from the highest mountains in the world to the busiest streets of Downtown New York. Adapting to the climates, challenges and the type of performance that each environment requires, Moncler is synonymous with versatility, a concept that distinguishes the design process of the brand as well as its philosophy, based on a constant drive for research, experimentation and innovation
Juxtaposing urban silhouettes with high-performance materials, the Moncler Collection SS21 is a protean collection that is (also) inspired by the magnitude of the city, an inclusive space that’s looking to the future, in which styles and identities, assonances and contrasts converge. By merging these elements with the historic heritage of the brand, the result is a spectrum of versatile, multifaceted and pliant looks, suitable both for style and personality and for the daily challenges faced by those who lead an urban life in constant motion.
Moncler doesn’t consider taking a break. Even during a moment that we can’t travel in person, the Moncler Collection SS21 seems to tell us that we don’t need to go to the other side of the planet to enjoy an adventure and to push our limits. We just need a city to explore.
So, to better understand the inspirations of the Moncler SS21 collection, the brand joined forces with i-D Italy to create an ad hoc editorial shot by creatives duo and photographers Chicco Yuanxiang Jiang and Tigre Zhang. We talked with them about how they’re doing in this peculiar time and what happens in the creative process behind their imagery.
Hi Chicco and Tigre! Tell us about yourself: how did you start collaborating and how did you become interested in photography and video?
T&C: We met in Siena 13 years ago, and in the following two years we attended a master’s degree together at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples.
T: I bought my first camera in 2009. At that time I was still an undergraduate, studying Environmental Art Design, but I spent all my free time shooting and learning all about self-taught photography.
C: When I was 16 or 17, I liked shooting on the streets and creating collages with my photographs. After a while, I thought it would be more fun to see those shots in motion. Then I was gifted with a very old Mini DV and so I started experimenting with video.
Where do you find your inspiration?
C: I think that everything we see and run into is inspirational. Sometimes we dive into the many prints we collect in our darkroom, and sometimes the inspiration is already there.
Guide us through your creative process. What are the elements from each other that you include in your projects?
T&C: Usually, at the beginning of a project, we discuss how we would like the final product to turn out. We always communicate, each creative step is a decision gained from infinite comparisons and dialogues.
T: What I pay the most attention to is the frank expression, friendliness and comfort in front of the camera.
C: I believe that the elements I bring to the various projects are more of an emotional nature. I usually don’t plan how an image has to look before taking it, I find inspiration as soon as I start to shoot.
Moncler is a brand closely linked to the concepts of experimentation, innovation and technique. Values that are also part of your vision. How do you carry them out within your artistic method?
T&C: We are completely in line with Moncler’s drive towards innovation, both in form and content. Our creative process must always be accompanied by continuous experimentation, whether on sets, in the darkroom, or in post-production processes such as through collages. We add the technological elements with the passing of time.
What kind of imagery comes to your mind when you think of Moncler?
T&C: Warm and light.
Brands like Moncler are spokespersons of crucial values such as uniqueness, unconventionality and freedom of expression. How do you express yourself?
T&C: We are extremely attached to material objects, we like to experiment with manual work and film everything we make like our parents did. Touching physical objects with our hands is something that makes us feel complete and takes us into a familiar dimension.
Try to describe the Moncler Collection SS21 in just three words.
T&C: The breath of summer, clear and pure.
The city is an essential element of the Moncler Collection SS21. How do the urban environment, the streets and the people who live there influence your work?
T&C: We like to stay in cities where the “old and new” collide and where there’s a strong multicultural dimension. Not only do they have a deep cultural heritage, but at the same time they are real vehicles for new values and new technological activations. Cities like this remind us to keep an open mind and to keep constantly learning from everything around us.
If your photograph were a city, which one would it be?
T&C: We think it’s Milan.
Tell us three cities you are incredibly attached to.
T: Xianyang, Naples, Milan.
C: Shenzhen, Naples, Milan.
What are your plans for the future?
T&C: Actually, we don’t have specific future plans. The only thing we are sure we want to pursue is our research. We hope to learn and experiment more and more – both creatively and technologically – and have fun in the meantime.
Credits
Photo & Artwork: Chicco & Tigre
Creative Direction: Gloria Maria Cappelletti
Art Direction: Gloria Bertuzzi
Styling: Giorgia Imbrenda
Assistant Styling: Francesco Mautone
Groomer: Silvia Sidoli
Written by: Carolina Davalli
Editor: Benedetta Pini
Senior Project Manager: Valentina Curti
Project Coordinator: Benedetta Borioni
Executive Producer: Rosario Di Salvo
Assistant producer 1: Guglielmo Brasco Del Signore
Assistant producer 2: Luca Barbagallo
Production: Rexindustries