When I started to plan my first-ever visit to the Milan Fashion Week, I was especially careful about the first days of the week not to miss the show of Act-n1, which was on the official calendar. This novice brand is making its first strides in the complex avenues of fashion industry and this would be their second show. Its founders made headlines last year as emerging talents when they won “Who’s on next?” – a contest organized by Altaroma in collaboration with Vogue Talents. These two talented enthusiasts come from different and distant cultures to synthesize their cultural heritage, childhood memories and cherished values into a story told through the rhythm of fashion, flair, shapes and colors. Precisely, one is Galib Gassanoff, from my land, Azerbaijan and the other Luca Lin, from China. Who would think fusion of these two cultures would give birth to some real eye-stealing pieces? And it was not all.
Photo: NowFashion
When I entered the show venue, in the usual pre-show confusion the first and most prominent thing in sight was mattresses stacked in piles in the central area of the venue. The thing that we like to keep covered, kind of out-of-sight in the most private part of our house under bed sheets and covers were out in display in stacks in the most central part of the venue. Whatever was supposed to be hidden was proudly out in display… My first thought was – ok, get ready for something real deconstructive. Let’s see.
Soon the models started to walk along the aisle. Yes, there were lots of deconstructive nuances to the pieces like sweater sewn together with tulle, experimental combination and layers of unmatching fabrics and pieces, but also there were lots of pastel colors, refined textile and romantic details as if the designers attempted to sew together distant memories of childhood – both warm, heartwarming and cold, somehow shattering. The surprise was in the arrangement how the models made their way through the stacks of mattresses…. Sometimes they walked by and around, but sometimes they started to crawl, roll or walk over the mattresses. The way the young designers see how the problems and hurdles along the paths are tackled. This staging was intriguing. In fact, those scenes were among my Instagram stories that received the most mixed responses. In that moment one thinks – isn’t it the purpose of a beautiful show? To trigger mixed emotions and leave spectators in puzzle with mixed feelings?
Whoever is somehow related to the fashion industry, knows how hard to it is to enter and even harder to impress. Maybe it was because of their unafraid youthful dare, they managed to add this intriguing detail which well-established, reputable fashion houses might not dare to. Maybe this was the reason they achieved so much at such a young age. To me, this is exactly that small, secret ingredient in the nature of the new/youth that empowers it to dethrone the already settled “old conformism” which debilitates itself by undervaluing and looking down onto this visually small, fragile yet fast-growing youth that is full of potential.
When the show was over, I went to the backstage to greet them, obviously they were busy with models, taking photos etc. In sheer contrast of the preponderant show they put out there, they were very down-to-earth, somehow fragile, aspiring designers who visibly were making their path with hard work and dedication, just like the models making their way through, by, above and over the mattresses. It was simply emotional to be there and see that sparkle in the spirit of these young potentials.
The Italian version of this article is published at the Fashion News Magazine.
