5 cool collections from the latest Men Fashion Week SS22

The latest Men Fashion Weeks brought back into the spotlight the taste for fashion, contemporary elegance and glamour that we all seemed to have forgotten during the pandemic, hidden under pyjamas and sweatpants. The major luxury brands tried everything to attract attention: from Prada's escape into summer and nature to the collaboration between Travis Scott and Kim Jones for Dior's SS22 to Louis Vuitton that unveiled on the catwalk the new creations of Virgil Abloh, including the Air Force 1 created in partnership with Nike. Despite this, there are 5 young companies that stood out for their co-ed collections, cool and full of versatile and appealing pieces, perfect even for a genderless wardrobe.

Casablanca

For the upcoming spring-summer 2022 season, Casablanca has renounced the classic fashion show, opting for a fashion film directed by Nathalie Canguilhem. In the new collection, entitled Masao San after an old friend of the creative director Charaf Tajer, two main inspirations come together: 90s Japanese ads of technology companies like Sony, Honda or Panasonic and the Memphis Milano artistic movement, developed in the 80s thanks to Ettore Sottsass and highly trendy again following the popularity of the Ultrafragola mirror among Gen Z home decor. The same aesthetics of the current coolest furnishing item, with its wavy lines, abstract patterns and bright colors, features the new apres-sport items of the brand: from silk shirts to wear with Seventies bell-bottoms to suits with funky prints, from rainbow mini-dresses to tricot twin sets, from sportswear in sugary pastel shades to blazers with wavy-cut lapels, from polo shirts to souvenir jackets embroidered with shells or with images of Mount Fuji. The funny details are the maxi jewelry and bags, playful interpretations of Japanese bento boxes.

Magliano 

The starting point for Magliano's new collection is Hippocrates' Humoral Theory. According to the Greek physician and philosopher, the human body is composed of four main substances from which derive as many temperaments: Melancholic, Sanguine, Phlegmatic and Choleric. Each feeling inspires a particular group of clothes. Melancholy is embodied by workwear, the rough canvas technical clothing typical of Italian workshops. The sanguine personality wears sexy guayabera of transparent cotton voile and beautiful silk shirts made from old scarves. The phlegmatic group opts for dresses in soft jacquard knitwear. Finally, the choleric types have a slightly hippie-freaks mood and love classic-cut jackets and pants in tropical wool lined with mix'n match prints of t-shirts recovered from the Montagnola market in Bologna. Revisited by the aesthetic taste of Luca Magliano, the humours become interesting and cool items, made with upcycled fabrics from previous collections and colored with natural dyes. The presentation was also interesting: a video directed by Tommaso Ottomano in which the models move frenetically to the syncopated rhythm played by Edoardo Lovazzi, a talented drummer who is only 12 years old.

VÌEN

For Vincenzo Palazzo, music remains an everlasting source of inspiration. This time, to influence his latest creations are the club culture and the baggy movement born in Manchester between the '90s and '80s, that soud linked to the record company The Factory to which belonged iconic bands such as Joy Division and New Order. The atmosphere of that period and the acid house, revisited for the SS22 season and combined with the typical British tailoring, get a new freshness made of hybrid and genderless outfits. Denim is the focus of patchwork effect garments, thanks to the combination with twill and technical fabrics; trench coats are worn over silk shirts made special by psychedelic prints; pants have a relaxed, practical fit that seems stolen from workwear, while the fanny pack, in an oversized version, remains a cult accessory. The other highlights of VÌEN's collection? Baggy jeans, sneakers, loose t-shirts and bucket hats.

Y/Project

With the SS22 collection, Y/Project confirms its love for denim, ruffles, special buttoning, hybrid silhouettes, double collars, coulisse and all the other details that have always distinguished Glenn Martens' creations and allow him to revolutionize every boring item according to his taste. Many of these elements are making special even the 15 looks of the partnership with FILA, launched on the occasion of the Italian brand's 110th anniversary. The tracksuits of the company founded in Milan in 1911 are rearranged like fashion Frankenstein: enriched with ruffles, decorated with rows of automatic buttons, the collars are doubled, the logos are juxtaposed, the buttons are asymmetrical, the volumes are layered. The accessories are also interesting, such as oversize earrings and small shoulder bags, resulting from the collaboration with Melissa.

Lemaire

There is something irresistible, ultra chic and timeless about Lemaire's fashion. Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh's creations for the next hot season confirm the simple and refined attitude that has made the success of the brand and seem to evoke the atmosphere of vintage movies such as L'Amant. On the SS22 catwalk, vaporous raincoats with a marble print, floaty cotton tops matched with linen pants, wide blazers to be worn with button-down shirts, bermuda shorts and leather shoes with a very basic shape and an almost oriental vibe alternate. Most of the clothes are modular, designed to change depending on the moment in which they are worn, such as the caftan that can become a cape or the casual dress that becomes an evening dress with the addition of a belt or a special accessory such as the iconic Croissant bag. The palette of the collection is also beautiful, a palette of soft tones that includes orange, beige, cream, olive, wheat, black and powder blue.

Fun fact: the prints we see on some of the dresses and blouses are inspired by the dreamy landscapes of American artist Joseph E. Yoakum.