Missoni handed out Little Sun solar lamps, designed by Olafur Eliasson, to guests, while models carried them during the finale.
In a season of climate change protests worldwide (although not in Milan) and sustainability top of mind among many designers and brands, Angela Missoni looked to the natural world — and the sun — for this busy kaleidoscope of a collection filled with flower prints, lots of sheer fabrics and patchwork with a homespun feel.
One look inside the goodie bag, and it was clear where this show, which unfolded around a public swimming pool, was going: Missoni handed out Little Sun solar lamps, designed by Olafur Eliasson, to guests. Models cradled them in their palms during the finale.
“We are at a crucial point for our planet, and we need to take action,” said Missoni and Eliasson in the note that accompanied the lamps. “Join us in holding hands with the sun.” Money raised from Little Sun sales helps to light off-grid communities in countries including Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Senegal.
The collection itself had a soft-edged, earthy feel, with models toting baskets of wildflowers and breezing past the water in patchwork skirts, long sheer knits and dresses and tops splattered with blurred flower patterns or dotted with floral appliquès. Models in cropped or bikini tops wore swooshing bohemian skirts in a patchwork of clashing flower prints and different textures, cinched with fringed belts.
Female models’ heads were covered in long, silk scarves to protect from the sun’s rays while the men sported knotted neckerchiefs. The latter wore suits in shades like bougainvillea pink or dark jackets dusted with sparkling flecks of color, recalling mineral rocks.
All of the rainbow brights, the blooming flowers, patchworks, and clashing layering were head-spinning — sometimes overwhelming models’ frames, and Missoni’s message about the planet.
See more @missoni
