New Team at Gianfranco Ferre Debut Thier Collection

Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi are not household names here in the States. They are however, well known overseas for their own line 6267 and for their work for at Malo. It was their job at Malo that caught the attention of the CEO of IT Holding SpA, Tonino Perna. As it so happens, IT Holding SpA is the parent company of both Malo and Gianfranco Ferre. Since the departure of previous designer Lars Nilsson, Tommaso and Roberto were brought in quickly by Perna to take the reigns of the legendary fashion house.

I remember Gianfranco Ferre's work from the late 80's. He used a neutral color pallet with the occasional splash of red. He also loved the use of line, shape and forms combined with soft fabrics and fabrics with texture. He was brilliant at it. He stayed true to his aesthetic, more or less, up until the time of his untimely death in June of 2007.

Tommaso and Roberto are fans of the late designer's work. They stayed with a neutral color pallet. They kept the emphasis on line and shape and elevated it to forms of architecture. They played with stiffer fabrics but not so stiff that they couldn't be scuplted. The result was, in my opinion, a beautiful collection with striking and memorable pieces. Each piece had a strong presence due to a combination of contrasting colors and boldly cut structures. It was a collection that made buyers take notice in a positive way. Even in a market where high end retail will see contraction, it would not surprise me to find pieces of this collection in a few top named luxury boutiques.