Talking to AnOther, Green opens up about the collection first shown in February, which muses on ideas of transparency and protection
Though he could not have possibly predicted the major upheavals of the months that followed, the title of Craig Green’s most recent collection as part of Moncler Genius, first shown in February – “Transparency and Protection” – now seems particularly apt. Presented amid a music festival-style presentation in a warehouse in Milan prior to lockdown – alongside the numerous other designers who take part in the multi-collection collaboration, including fellow London-based designers Jonathan Anderson, Simone Rocha and Richard Quinn – Green centred on Moncler’s longtime dedication to protecting its wearers from the elements.
“When I think about Moncler I think about both protection and lightness and so we used micro ripstop nylon throughout the collection to give the illusion of the garments being fragile or delicate, but actually they provide a high level of protection,” Green tells AnOther of the collaboration over email. “I’ve always been drawn to looking at the idea of protection and I think that there is a beauty in the making of protective garments. But there’s also the notion of people feeling protected by something that isn’t physical, such as the feeling of belonging. Finding protection in other people or as part of a team or group.”
Presented in typically dramatic fashion – in one room, models stood upon grates which blasted air upwards, making the inflated forms flutter like kites – the relative simplicity of Green’s description belies the intricacies of the pieces, which fused the designer’s want to push the traditional menswear line into bold new silhouettes with Moncler’s technical prowess. So much so that much of it is not easily described in the usual fashion terminology: the first section, in monochrome, saw enveloping monastic silhouettes in Green’s signature quilting (some printed with the outlines of bodies, or hands), later, a series of the aforementioned inflated looks in vivid shades of red, green and blue, evoked blow-up life rafts or pool lilos.
Of those sculptural pieces, Green says: “We looked at the process of how a down-filled or feather garment is made, and how at the beginning there are two completely flat pieces of fabric until the volume is injected into the garment,” he explains. “[I was thinking about] the idea of simple 2D shapes being made into more technical and complex 3D elements ... the contrast between 2D vs 3D.” But Green also admits that, despite the sometimes-esoteric end points, his collections from Moncler begin by thinking about the “functional pieces”, those which will actually end up in stores and available to buy. Here, he was thinking about how he could “create the lightest outerwear possible” (items in the collection available for purchase include quilted hooded jackets and trousers, and the near-transparent ‘Peeve’ jacket).
This collection marks Green’s sixth as part of Moncler Genius, a collaboration which for now remains ongoing. “Working with a collaborative partner such as Moncler that is willing to take a risk and experiment is really rewarding,” Green says. “Moncler has a definitive and core product offering of down-filled outerwear, I enjoy the challenge each season of working with the technical teams to develop new construction methods and fabrications. I think it can sometimes be a better outcome to work within restrictions and have enforced boundaries.”
To discover the collection, visit Moncler’s website.