MILAN — Utility and workwear references were all over outerwear seen at Milan Men’s Fashion Week yet again, with few puffers in sight (one exception being Prada’s puffer-on-puffer looks). Category specialists upped the ante on fabric research and treatments reinventing field jackets, parkas and workwear styles by toying with urban performance.
The Stone Island collection for fall had some “Blade Runner” vibes and Japanese influences, said chief executive officer Robert Triefus. This led, for example, to a proprietary dyeing method inspired by that country’s traditional indigo dyeing, as well as Stone Island techniques, such as “color collision” and “reverse color process.”
The brand, known for its innovative R&D, showed graphic T-shirts with prints based on a corrosion technique and sashiko stitching. Also, for the first time at Stone Island, the color corrosion treatment was performed on nylon, with a process that renders each piece unique.
Unveiled at its new striking and sprawling showroom in Milan, the collection introduced a capsule titled “Raw Beauty,” made from fabric scraps from the brand’s production chain that have been shredded and rewoven. Also striking was a two-layer jacket consisting of a garment dyed, removable translucent polyurethane shell, lined with a cotton moleskin layer that features reflective taped seams.
Also zeroing in on its roots in fabric research, C.P. Company debuted three new fabrics and treatments for fall. They include Twill, a garment-dyed nylon Taslan left-hand twill plied into the signature fishtail car coat and field jacket; Opel, a multifilament nylon coupled with a see-through membrane for extra performance worked into a Goggle Jacket, the brand’s most recognizable style with goggles integrated in its hoodie, as well as C.P. Duffel, a New Zealand wool fabric used for a sophisticated duffle coat. Already one of the brand’s go-to textiles, the Bi-Film fabric, a garment-dyed stretch nylon coated in polyurethane, was coupled with felt, providing a rugged and tactile effect.
Although the outerwear category remains key to C.P. Company’s business, its president Lorenzo Osti said adjacent categories, especially knitwear, are providing a business boon, with sell-out rates for the category above 65 percent throughout 2024. Despite headwinds, the brand has been resilient and is gearing up for the opening of a new flagship in Paris next month, following units that bowed last year in Hamburg, Germany, and Lyon, France.
Meanwhile, Massimo Osti Studio, C.P. Company’s spin-off brand hinged on the namesake’s expertise in sportswear and textile manipulation, unveiled three of its 2025 drops, called Chapters. Trama 3D, developed with textile specialist Limonta 1893, spotlights the high-tech garment making process in which a single textile sheet of regenerated Econyl is garment-dyed, laser-cut and assembled, details included, while the second installment of the brand’s collaboration with Alcantara offered laser-cut parkas and dust coats with a velvety, matte finish and crisp appearance. The latest innovation, called Fresco Woolgum, also developed with Limonta 1893, marked a new take on Osti’s Tecnowool, introduced in the mid-’90s. The resin-coated wool twill was worked into workwear suits featuring a mélange of color patterns.
“This is moment when courage pays off,” said Enzo Fusco, CEO of Blauer’s parent FGF Industry. The company closed 2024 with revenues of 78 million euros, in line with the previous year, the result of balanced price policies and continued investment. FGF Industry is building a new factory in 2025 and plans to open new Blauer retail units on the heels of a strong performance of its own stores in 2024, which were up 30 to 35 percent year-on-year at existing units.
For fall, the Blauer collection continued to revisit the brand’s roots in utilitarian outerwear with a military bent. The mixed-media bomber and parka jackets were crafted from crease nylon and lightweight polyester, seen also in a cool hooded style with front patch pockets. The waxed nylon puffers and corduroy pieces, the latter accented by tapered seams, leaned toward a more elevated aesthetic, while the B. Project line comprising three-layer jackets zeroed in on performance, boasting wind- and waterproof qualities.
As part of the main collection, the outerwear specialist unveiled the Blauer x Pirelli capsule collection, a four-piece, no-gender lineup crafted from recycled materials and defined by a distinctive black and yellow color palette. The seamless puffer and puffer vest crafted from recycled polyester and Taslan were part of the performance-driven half of the collection, flanked by a parka and a dust coat, the latter defined by a minimal silhouette with laser-cut hems.
“The partnership with Blauer represents a clear opportunity for us: to explore new expressive possibilities of our brand through apparel that puts the consumer in touch with the Pirelli world of emotions, identity and passion,” said Marco Maria Tronchetti Provera, senior vice president of Pirelli design and assets conversion.
Fusco characterized the partnership as a cool combination of both brands’ know-how. “I was invited to see their archives and I was impressed….I wanted this capsule collection to embody the spirit of performance and R&D core to the Pirelli ethos,” he said.
Napapijri’s fall collection, titled “A Geography of Time,” was transitional at its core, with a range of outerwear pieces to carry one through the season, just to be worn in different ways. Polar fleeces, some hooded some not, came with prints such as a map of a skiing complex, the Norwegian flag or Fair Isle patterns, intended to be worn as outerwear or layered under one of the brand’s signature anorak-style pieces. This season, they were embellished with vintage-looking patches, which also appeared on autumnal shirt jackets that could be layered over padded, garment-dyed vests bearing a marble motif.
At Blauer’s brother brand Ten C, creative director Alessandro Pungetti continued to push the envelope of material R&D. For fall, the signature OJJ, or Original Japanese Jersey, fabric was garment-dyed with Sienna pigments conjuring an earthy color palette that spanned from rusty orange and taupe to sandy beige. Parkas and zippered windbreaker styles stood out for their elevated utilitarian appeal, to be layered over nylon Tactel workwear suits or corduroy ensembles featuring an overshirt.
The latest addition to the brand’s fabric library was rubberized cotton gabardine plied into a range of signature Ten C deigns, from the Fishtail Short Parka to the Field Work Jacket. A series of puffers inspired by the attire of arctic rescue teams provided an unexpected spin on the outerwear piece.
People of Shibuya homed in on its roots in urban performance outerwear, developing a minimal and city-appropriate fall collection filled with pieces intended to be layered. Characterized by functional, and often hidden, details, such as laser-cut pockets, detachable or foldable hoods and easy-pull zippers, the collection worked a muted color palette of mud brown, navy blue and burgundy.
The Italian company, which draws its name from the famous Tokyo crossing to express its urbanwear roots, developed two collaborations this season. The first one, with Gore-Tex, comprises five signature People of Shibuya styles rendered in the former company’s Bionic fabric crafted from recycled plastic. The second capsule, also sustainably minded, included footwear in partnership with eco-conscious company ACBC.
At MooRER, functionality continues to be a priority, as much as offering fashionable garments.
The collection evolved with outerwear that had different weights and padding, with high-performance fabrics as well as wool with revisited British graphic motifs. Shearling and leather jackets were super soft.
Vicuña puffers, shown with wool and cashmere models and camel coats, were standouts. There were also new combinations of shirt-jackets and felt or jersey sport suits.
Every item was meticulously detailed with zippers, pockets and meshed vents for additional practical purposes.