Moncler Is Much More Than Puffers (Exclusive)
Moncler’s Genius program tends to do the most, respectfully. The collaborative project teams up with an Avengers-level grip of designers throughout the year, bringing monstrous, pentagram-laced shoes (thanks, Rick Owens) and A$AP Rocky’s reversible, convertible super-puffed jackets.
But within this tempest of maximalism, Hiroshi Fujiwara has always taken a far more functional, Americana-inspired approach. Fitting, given that Japan’s “godfather of streetwear” has built a career out of an incredibly sharp eye for collaborations. (It usually involves some amount of Americana filtered through a skatewear or hip-hop lens).
His latest Moncler collection, as always issued through his fragment design imprint, is proof that taking the motto “In Fujiwara We Trust” will never steer you wrong. Mostly because it’s heavily influenced by the man himself: His own taste for vintage Japanese souvenir jackets is core to the collection, and Fujiwara himself acts as one of the models (accompanied by a little dog "inspired by the collection's playful puppy motif," per the press release).
The big draw is Fujiwara’s more minimalist reimagining of the Trailgrip Clarks Wallabee GTX — a three-way collab that mashes up Clarks’ most famous shoe with Moncler tech and Fujiwara’s preferred all-black design lingo — and the Altive Mid Boots, plus an extremely slick, reversible varsity jacket and a new “Mini Me” line of child-sized pieces, signaling that the 62-year-old designer isn’t just gunning for your own wardrobe, but for your whole family’s too.
Moncler’s collaborative programming has always felt a bit like a mad scientist’s lair. But as fun as it is to see the outlandishly creative designs from other brands, there’s something to be said for just picking up a piece that can be worn without a second thought. Fujiwara has always grasped that.
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