Daniel Arsham and Inter go way back. Fifteen years, to be exact. Ever since the New York artist began visiting Milan regularly back in 2008 he’s been following the club with a vested interest, which makes his involvement with the Italian side’s third Moncler collaboration even more special.
The release, which drops on Moncler’s webstore October 28, comprises an extremely limited run of light down jackets designed by Arsham. The piece itself is a shirt-cum-jacket and is crafted in Moncler’s signature quilted nylon, bearing each of the brand’s signatures: From Inter’s serpent to Moncler’s M to Arsham’s intersecting A’s.
“I selected a very typical Moncler jacket that might be worn on the pitch by the coaching staff or the players during warm up,” Arsham tells Highsnobiety ahead of the reveal. “The primary focus was integrating the Inter logo with my own and also, of course, mixing it with the Moncler logo and integrating things like the blue snake intertwined with the double A logo from my studio that were created as patches for the jacket.”
Benjamin Pavard, Flaminia Simonetti, and Marcus Thuram, as well as coach Simone Inzaghi, were just a handful of Inter names used to showcase the collection, which will be further feted in a dramatic takeover of San Siro Stadium on October 29 for the Inter vs AS Roma game, which will shine the logos on the pitch, the ground box, and on banners around the stadium.
Long time followers of Arsham and Inter will be aware that this isn’t the first time the two have joined forces. Last month, the 43-year-old gifted the club two eroded football sculptures in the team’s signature blue and black colors to celebrate Inter’s impressive 2022/23 campaign, one that saw them win the Coppa Italia and second in the Champions League.
“The eroded balls were something that I had been thinking about for a while to give the team something to remember that year by and to mark that year,” says Arsham. “Even though we didn't come home with the cup [Champions League], it was a pretty miraculous year. Though the artworks may appear as if they are falling apart, the crystals are actually growing to completion inside. Evolving, adapting, and growing in unison, much like the spirit of Inter.”
Of course, the football-fashion crossover isn’t a new phenomenon. Over the last few years, luxury fashion labels working alongside clubs has become the norm, including Inter, who worked with Nike to release a pair of Air Max 97s earlier this year.
For Arsham, while this might be the first time he’s designed off-pitch wear for a club the size of Inter, it isn’t entirely new ground for him. Back in 2018, Arsham took up the position of creative director at NFL side Cleveland Cavaliers, a move that marked one of the first big moments in terms of a design and major sports crossover.
Even still, working alongside Moncler and Inter, a club close to Arsham’s heart, the designer is entering new territory. Now, though, all Arsham is hoping for is that his gear can be worn during an even more successful season than the last.
“Well, what can I say about the season so far? Pretty good,” he says. “Where do I hope we get to? Well, I hope we're taking the cup and Champions League this year. That’s the dream.”
