Messina and Rizzo are known for their outlandish fashion show concepts at the brand they founded, Sunnei. For their first runway show at Moschino, they cast hundreds of Milanese people, all dressed in their own clothing. The show opened with those people walking right to left, as the collection’s models walked against the crowd, left to right. It was a different version of the street than Demna’s, and a more literal one. This wasn’t about sending the world through the looking glass, but about bringing the outside world onto the runway.
“I am really good friends with people from Sunnei who moved to Moschino with Loris and Simone,” photographer and art director Giacomo Cabrini said, “and they invited me to walk the show.”
“I thought it was a really cool Milanese moment,” he continued, “[Loris and Simone] are always really successful at portraying a side of Milan that is rarely shown to the media. They have a really genuine and authentic community.”
Another cast member, Elisa Carassai, is a writer, editorial consultant, and member of Messina and Rizzo’s creative circle. “I think one of the strengths of Loris and Simone’s concept is that they were able to pull together people who all have different personal styles but are part of the same community,” she said. “It was very representative of the growing, independent fashion community in Milan.”
It was bold of Messina and Rizzo to show their new collection among a sea of interesting people with their own style identities. It made for a clever and engaging show to watch, and established how Messina and Rizzo see Moschino, a brand known for archness and wit. Their version is irreverent, but less conceptual and didactic about its sense of humor.
“Moschino is obviously a historic brand, so it’s been interesting to see how they bring this independent spirit to a heritage brand that has a very ironic point of view,” Carassai said.
