At Milan Men’s Fashion Week, designers put the concept of travel high on the agenda — with themes suited for ground level commuting or something out of this world.
Things kicked off Friday night, reassuringly late, with the Zegna show held at the Milano Central railway station. Chunky, mixed material Cesare boots were just the ticket for an all terrain commute (a completely customizable version launched online as the show ended.)
On Saturday, Jimmy Choo drew inspiration from the 1969 moon landing. The Diamond space boot — part sneaker, part hiker — came with an exaggerated rubber sole and proved that there is still mileage to be had out of extreme sportswear. One version was even frosted with Swarovski space dust. Elsewhere, retro ’60s-inflected baseball boots featured Americana style space patches, while western boots with elevated, star-studded heels reflected the roots of the space race in America’s Midwest.
At 25 centimeters high, Cuban heels at Giuseppe Zanotti came similarly stacked. The season’s threefold inspiration, Cuban meets British meets Miami Vice, played out with said heels plus tartans, animal prints and embossed croc panels on mixed material dress shoes. This renewal of his label’s formal category is the designer’s response to current shifts in the market. “Sneakers are part of our culture, but I don’t want to completely forget about tradition and put it in the garbage,” he said. There were also new sneakers, a less intense skater style with textured soles like the scales of a sea urchin.
The final big theme of the day was punk — both a literal and ideological expression of the movement. Neil Barrett showed bovver boots while Francesco Risso’s DIY aesthetic at Marni had leopard panel loafers with multiple piercings as if they had been stapled together.
And while Marcelo Burlon launched his own label sneakers at his County of Milan show, the rest of the shoes were supplied by punk favorite footwear label Underground London.
Click here to see more photos from the Jimmy Choo and Giuseppe Zanotti presentations.
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