Fashion

How Jeremy Scott Transformed Moschino

Image property of Yanni Vlamos / Indigitalimages.com

In 1983, Italian designer Franco Moschino broke the fashion mould when he launched his eponymous line, Moschino. He became famous for his innovative and eclectic designs that often poked fun at high fashion and established fashion houses, having fun and experimenting with fashion like no one really before him. In 1994, Franco Moschino passed away, with his former assistant Rossella Jardini taking over as creative director.

Moschino as a brand seemed to drop, though, not really moving on from its 1980s heyday and re-establishing itself for a new generation. That was, until, 2013 when American designer Jeremy Scott became the brand’s creative director. Having established himself as someone who created eccentric collections both in his own line and in collaboration with Adidas, Scott had built up a cult following among celebrities and fashion fans alike, renowned for beating to his own drum and not following pre-conceived ideas of style and trends.

Scott made Moschino relevant again. He applied its original humour and tongue-in-cheek nature that the brand was so famous for in the ‘80s to new designs and new ideas that would speak to the 21^st century customer. For such an Italian brand, Scott has brought in a big element of American culture – in particular, consumer culture. Drawing comparisons to the likes of Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, he creates art – or fashion – out of the everyday big name brands that have taken over the United States and much of the western world.

Think of his very first show for Moschino, which made high fashion out of McDonald’s. Models came down the runway in red knitted skirt suits complete with yellow ‘M’, served up red quilted bags with yellow trims (harking back to Moschino’s original tact of poking fun at the likes of Chanel) and posed with Moschino milk shake bags. Then there was the Barbie collection, the Looney Tunes collection and the car-wash couture collection.

Jeremy Scott is the man that’s having the most fun with fashion – and it’s working. Not only has he revitalised Moschino but he’s done the same with its diffusion lines. Moschino Cheap and Chic – once an arguably under-the-radar brand has been given a new identity with Boutique Moschino thanks to Scott, with the line carrying those same fun, quirky details but with a youthful, more real-life-friendly aesthetic (after all, it’s not every day you can wear a pink and purple feather dress that resembles a roller in a drive-in car wash).

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Words by Angharad Jones