Moncler's been busy. With MONDOGENIUS upon us, the Italian luxury label has begun blessing the world with a deluge of eye-popping collabs and events, all leading up to an innovative auction, of sorts.
"The partnership between Artsy and Moncler shows the power of two brands from different industries coming together to make a positive impact in the world," Artsy CMO Everette Taylor told Highsnobiety. "We both believe in the power of leveraging our collective platforms to uplift creative communities and challenge the status quo."
As part of 2 Moncler 1952's rollout, the sub-label is partnering with Artsy for a charitable auction that benefits non-profit FREE THE WORK. Therein, mountain meets museum when Moncler signatures, from puffers to trek gear, get reinterpreted into high-falutin' works of art.
Prem Sahib's work, Puffer Desk, is one of the most recognizable revisions of a Moncler piece. You've got Moncler 1952's "duvet" jacket in bubblegum pink and black free-standing beneath a solid glass plane. That's one sturdy puffer!
Some of the Moncler 1952 auction's wildest works came from Erwin Wurm, who provided two pieces for the sale. The biggest one — actually, the biggest piece of the entire auction — is Fat Mini, a real-deal Austin Mini all puffed-up and rendered in that unmissable Moncler 1952 pink.
"I strongly believe when we look on our reality from an absurd angle, with paradox situations and questions, we can probably see more," Wurm said, cryptically.
Almost A Perfect Day, Wurm's other contribution, is a trio of photographs wherein models wear current season Moncler 1952 in unconventional ways. Unconventional shapes — including a besandaled egg and Dali-like figure — result.
Moncler's signature puffer textile returns one more time, almost rendered unrecognizable by Andrea Anastasio's three pieces. Pillow is the most approachable: it reshapes Moncler's outerwear into squishy seats and chairs.
The cushion concept returns in Giubbotti, in which Anastasio wraps the puffer pillows around ornamental sculptures for safekeeping. Protection from both the elements and shattering.
Finally, Alta Quota is practically unrecognizable as a Moncler project, given that it wraps squat, glazed vases in mountaineering cord, calling back to Moncler's trek heritage.
What's all this say about Moncler? Well, the most obvious reading is that Moncler never merely made up one single element. Many ingredients make up a complete Moncler meal; even with sub-labels like 1952, there's an plenty for all palettes.
