Image from Robb Report's Modern Man exhibit. Image courtesy of Robb Report
Lifestyle publication Robb Report is celebrating Italian Men’s Fashion Week through the lens of a single article of clothing: the jacket.
In partnership with MonteNapoleone District and Milano Unica, Robb Report is staging “The Modern Man,” a photographic exhibit that deconstructs the basic blazer through editorialized imagery. Spanning both Milan and Florence's fashion weeks, this display offers Robb Report an opportunity to further its voice in men's style.
Style notes
Robb Report’s exhibit is displayed on a series of 10 two-sided poles in Milan’s via Montenapoleone, from June 10-20.
Robb Report tapped Alex Badia, style director at fellow Penske Media-owned title Women’s Wear Daily, to curate the exhibit. In all, 10 looks from 10 Italian labels are featured, showcasing both classic style and the modernization and redefinition of the term “luxury.”
One of the main focuses of the pictured looks is textiles, a fitting subject for Milano Unica, a trade show for fabrics.
“Milano Unica has always participated because it offers stylists the opportunity to choose the best for their collections,” said Ercole Botto Poala, president of Milano Unica, in a statement. “The exhibition designed with our partners shows how an art form that is centuries old, when combined with state of the art technology, can create textiles that are both classic and avant-garde which become the ‘must haves’ for designers.
“These textiles are the raw materials for high quality garments, exclusive because of their cut, design and ‘feel,’” he said. “These are fundamental qualities for the modern man. We are very satisfied to be able to demonstrate the importance of our textiles because our companies are at the very heart of Italian excellence.”
Image from Robb Report's Modern Man. Image courtesy of Robb Report
In conversation to Italy’s other fashion center, Florence will also showcase a single pole about the exhibit from June 13-16 at the Fortezza da Basso, coinciding with Pitti Imagine Uomo, the city’s men’s fashion week. This twin display is produced with support from Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and Pitti Imagine Uomo.
“Milan has for a long time been considered by those gentlemen who walk these historic streets in search of a stylistic identity, to be the place where men’s fashion and style originate,” said Guglielmo Miani, president of MonteNapoleone District.
“The choice of items for their own wardrobes, and the manner in which they wear those items, reflect a unique personality,” he said. “But beyond the experiential journey which, thanks to Robb Report, enables anyone who strolls along via Montenapoleone to interact with and be inspired by the jackets, this exhibition offers us the opportunity to narrate what is closest to our hearts, the entire supply chain, from the thread to the finished garment. A unique and distinctive approach for which Milano Unica offers its essential contribution.
“Furthermore, this first collaboration with Pitti Immagine Uomo represents an important step towards the construction of a Milan-Florence axis with the aim of reinforcing at an international level the pre-eminence of Italia Men’s Fashion Week.”
Robb Report has previously paid homage to Italy through editorial.
The publication brought la dolce vita to its readers by dedicating its entire March 2016 issue to Italy.
From automobiles and fashion to travel and food, the issue explores the people responsible for the country’s cultural significance. To kick off the issue, Robb Report and Saks hosted a shopping event at the retailer’s Fifth Avenue flagship, bringing together elements of the good life on the men’s floor (see story).