Moncler’s masked figures stir controversy at Milan Fashion Week

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Jan 19, 2016

How far can fashion use and interpret current events and politics? This is the question being asked following Moncler’s Gamme Bleu controversial fashion show which took place Sunday evening in Milan. 

When the first looks hit the runway, some journalists began to feel uncomfortable at the sight of masked men dressed in camouflage. A theme chosen by American stylist, Thom Browne, for the outerwear brand, Monclear’s ready-to-wear Fall/Winter 2016-17 collection.

“I was really bothered as soon as the first looks came out. I preferred to look at the floor during the entire fashion show. There is something called current events and the creators should pay attention to it. It would have been better received if the collection was presented without masks or with an accompanying text,” explains a French journalist. Like most journalists that have been approached, he has chosen to remain anonymous. Only Gilles Denis from Les Echos took to social media to share his thoughts on the show as “an embarrassment to the fashion industry.”

Most of the collection was characterized by a blue, red and white camouflage print. The show finale also disturbed more than one person, with models grouped together in a glass cube forming what brought to mind the iconographic signs usually used by terrorists. 

The overlap with ISIS and the recent terrorist attacks in Paris were obvious and shocked a part of the public, notably the French. 

“We did not at all appreciate it. We thought it was completely uncalled for. Not only were there masks, but also details like bullet marks on the shoulders of blouses. The final scene also really made me think of ISIS. The events which took place in Paris on the 13 of November, we relived them in full force. To re-watch them on stage is insane. The artistic director, Thom Browne, had time to change his tune and direction,” notes another Parisian journalist. 

At the end of the show, many journalists protested against Moncler CEO, Remo Ruffini. Many people also shared their negative reaction to the show on the brand's Facebook page. On the other hand, the Italian press and other nationalities did not report on this issue – clearly, they were not affected by the show in the same way. 

“The military clothing style is a classic in men’s clothing, but on the catwalk we saw masked men just as we would imagine them in training camps, which was very disturbing. I’m shocked, it didn’t make me laugh or dream,” declared another French journalist. 

"Fashion should not be mixed with this. There are limits. We can't use a tragedy to transform it into fashion. Moncler's message wasn't meant to be malevolant of course, but it took a giant risk by presenting such a collection without an explanation. The interpretation is too sensitive," she concluded.