During Milan Fashion Week on Sunday, the independent Italian label Simon Cracker presented an upcycled collection that critiqued the luxury fashion industry, highlighting what the designers perceive as a loss of quality and originality over the years.
The collection featured coed outfits fashioned from reclaimed and leftover textiles and accessories, and it included a humorous nod to the highly coveted Birkin bag from Hermes. The creative team highlighted this iconic item by drawing its signature hardware onto leather bags and screen-printing images of the bag onto sweaters.
Co-creative directors Simone Botte and Filippo Biraghi were pleased to note that while developing their collection, Walmart had introduced what was perceived as a knockoff of the Birkin bag. “People have lost their passion for fashion,” Biraghi remarked. “They have been misled for two decades. With numerous conflicts around the world and the impact of climate change, we are all facing economic challenges. The link between price and value has dwindled drastically, making it unsustainable.”
A distinct feature of the collection was the playful representation of the typical Milanese woman, colloquially referred to as sciura. This was demonstrated through quirky tweed pieces, stylish foulards, and even a miniature dog. Each outfit in the showcase was one-of-a-kind, constructed from garments sourced from dry cleaning establishments and other locations, while models confidently embodied their roles with relaxed postures and exaggerated runway movements.
The brand continued its partnership with Doc Martens, adding whimsical trompe l’oeil ballerina shoe designs. Their creativity further extended to the use of shiny tinsel packing materials, which transformed into skirts, collars, and decorative fringes, while ribbons adorned the footwear.
The collection concluded with a piece entirely draped in luxury tags collected from Biraghi’s personal wardrobe over the years. “We are satirizing wealth,” he explained.
The critique from Simon Cracker comes at a time when the luxury fashion sector is reportedly experiencing a downturn, with analysts suggesting a need for significant changes within the industry.
Recent research from McKinsey and The Business of Fashion indicated that leading brands are confronting a notable slowdown this year, following four years of exceptional growth from 2019 to 2023, which saw a compounded annual increase of 5% despite the pandemic.
A significant portion, approximately 80%, of this growth was attributed to price hikes that outstripped innovation, according to the McKinsey report. Additionally, Bain consultancy has predicted a 2% contraction for luxury goods in 2025, signaling the first decline since the Great Recession, excluding the circumstances of 2020 during the pandemic. This was linked to a creative crisis compounded by global upheavals.
Botte and Biraghi are not surprised by these findings. “If a piece of clothing is uninteresting or doesn’t narrate a story, and lacks creativity, why should anyone care?” Biraghi remarked. “We all own too many clothes. The market certainly doesn’t need more.”
Among the attendees at the show was Italian singer Chiara Galiazzo, who sported a chic pinstripe and plaid jacket accented with a dreamy blue while paired with royal Bermuda shorts and matching boots. After the show, she expressed her affinity for the brand, attributing it to its genuine nature. “I feel a sense of belonging to a community,” she shared. “That’s something I value greatly, and it’s immensely enjoyable.”
