The Museo della Scienza (Science Museum) in Milan hosted Antonio Marras’s S/S19 fashion show. A cultural and educational institution where people, with no limits either of age or origins, normally learn and increase their knowledge: discrimination is supposed to be completely out. It is a genuine place, which metaphorically talks to the people and aims to enlighten every single inch of ignorance.
Consistently, the designer’s inquiry, which led to the very creation of the collection, is particularly related to what’s currently happening, especially in the Italian context. Be it a critique or a glimmer of hope, the collection’s concept is undoubtedly a clear interpretation of this very moment in the world History: in fact, it doesn’t overlook the politically engaged issues, which split our Country, or the classical concept of Mare Nostrum, extensively employed during the Res Publica Romana. However, it is concealed by the magic of the myth, tightly intertwined with a legend narrating the exile of an Ethiopian princess on a Sardinian archipelago’s island (not randomly hometown of the designer).
The topos of the voyage acquires a leading role in the collection. It deals with the challenge of overcoming your own Country, your national border, and moving: it’s an evident reference to the legend guiding the collection. The aforementioned voyage is both culturally and politically limitless; it’s a free and licit travel, both of your body and your soul.
Safari, the second theme (just for enlisting, with no hierarchical order), explicitly recalls our princess’s origins. On the other hand, the animalier relates to the wild animal world, and relevantly to the current trend that animalier ‘is the new black’.
Our trip has yet to get to its end, and from here more references may be found out. Not only does Safari carries us into the animal world, but it also takes us closer to nature, to its simplicity and its essentiality. While the flower pattern warmly welcomes us, the camouflage prints let us dive deeply into nature itself: each human being can easily blend with it, but keeping his presence recognizable anyway.
Antonio Marras chose the materials wisely, in order to underscore the contrast between nature and luxury: that’s the very sharp contrast between the old luxury life of the princess and her new simple life in touch with nature. Concretely, the sequins are the physical element carrying the antithesis.
The designer mentioned the torn-up shirts as one of the elements really standing out: they are a representation of the journey again. Because it’s long and complicated; it requires patience and tolerance. The tears themselves recall all the efforts, but success at the same time because materiality marks the end of the journey, the ultimate accomplishment.
Antonio Marras’s collection is straight and actual; its authenticity is physically perceivable. It wants to boldly speak out loud, with no regrets, because it needs to be carefully heard. It is multifaceted and colorful as the world we live in; it’s rich in details, and even more in references, because they aim to make us think deeply and extensively: they don’t want to be ignored at all. It’s up to us to pick them up and above all…and to listen to them, rightfully.