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MILAN — “Missoni is certainly a palimpsest of mismatched patterns, but to me more than a graphic formula, it is a mindset, a way of approaching the act of dressing: free, instinctual, spontaneous, playing with matter and colour,” says Alberto Caliri, who, later today, will make his debut as the creative director of the Italian fashion house best known for its zig-zag knitwear.
Caliri is a Missoni veteran: Angela Missoni’s long-time right hand, who was entrusted with designing two collections after she stepped down and before Filippo Grazioli took the reins. Now, after three years overseeing Missoni Home, he’s back in the driver’s seat with a title that encompasses men’s, women’s and home collections. It makes sense: Missoni is a whole world, a way of being that seamlessly moves from clothing to home decoration, and having a single vision across categories makes the message clearer and rounder.
“I am not here not with the aim to restart but with the idea to revive the founding spirit,” Caliri explains. “The three years I spent away from ready-to-wear allowed me to see things from another perspective and gave me room to look for a stronger meaning.”
It’s a few days before the show, and Caliri, a pixie-like fifty-something with piercing green eyes and a wild air about his demeanour, is showing no signs of tension. “To me, what matters at Missoni is the materiality of texture, and this is exactly where my path begins, looking at the seminal work that Ottavio and Rosita did in the 1970s, but also at their way of living and dressing together,” he says as we walk through the collection, stopping to the ponder the richness of punto pelliccia cardigans, the intricacy of thick jumpers in explosions of Harris Tweed colours, and the sequin-like sheen of glazed tops and dresses.
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The palette is muddy, earthy, a far cry from the primary hues that have been prevalent of late. “Nothing is flat, even though the design is clean. Outerwear and daywear are my main areas of interest: I believe they can function as a new drive for the business, which of late has shifted mostly towards sexy and skimpy occasion dressing.” But don’t get the wrong idea: although Caliri is delving into layering and mismatch, and playing with the face-off of masculine and feminine, the look is far from bulky.
Bare legs make a big difference, and everything looks both fresh and connected to Missoni’s roots. “The dialogue between Ottavio and Rosita was fascinating. He had a unique sensibility for colours, and a way of putting them together in perfectly wrong combinations that were, in fact, wonderfully right. Her love for graphic black and white was enduring. The collection features all of this. I like the idea of cardigans, shirts and polos that look like they were culled from Ottavio’s wardrobe and put into a feminine context, becoming impromptu minidresses and spontaneous ensembles,” he enthuses.
As a designer, Caliri is a spirited realist. He has no interest in creating mere catwalk buzz. Things at Missoni have not gone particularly well since Angela left, and the house needs a boost. Previewing the collection, one gets the impression of a Missoni that is bolder, simpler and more immediate than it has been in recent times. “I want the collection to be worn, and for this reason I am not afraid to do normal, or seemingly so, on the catwalk,” he says. That’s what Ottavio and Rosita used to do, after all, back in the day when the catwalk was a proposal, and not an exercise in attracting eyeballs. That’s a good starting point, and Caliri’s technical knowledge makes him well suited to the task.
