Franco Moschino’s contribution to fashion deserves study not only for his irreverent challenge to the bourgeois status quo through style—he was, at heart, an intelligent and elegant designer who championed chic laced with a sly sense of humor—but also for his semantic flair, using wording to toe the line between critique and witty insouciance. It’s a legacy that’s anything but easy to revive, yet Adrian Appiolaza, now at the helm of the brand, appears to be charting his own path forward. His take is part surreal irony, part high-spirited eccentricity, tempered by a keen eye on the market’s currents.
For resort, he teamed up with co-conspirator and lensman Chris Rhodes to stage a roving fantasy holiday—from gambling away your fortunes in Las Vegas to channeling your inner explorer in the Grand Canyon, with a quick supermarket pit stop to restock your supplies. After sweating it all out at the local gym (even dream vacations require a modicum of discipline), the itinerary wrapped with a motel poolside Christmas party, complete with Santas, tinsel stoles, and gowns streaked with shooting stars. “It’s almost if you dress up with your Christmas decorations,” joked Appiolaza. “I don’t want to be too conceptual, or niche.”
The wardrobe for such a whirlwind travel itinerary leaned heavily on dynamic sportswear and activewear—reimagined, deconstructed, and crossbred. Tailoring morphed into leisurewear via cozy fabrics, while tracksuits got an upgrade in suiting textiles. Surreal trompe l’oeils were never far: a classic trench sprouted sleeves inspired by the Tie Me Bag; a bikini was improbably woven into a turtleneck; slot machine screens exploded into prints on shirts and tunics; a tailored blazer came cinched with a boxer’s waistband; and, naturally, one handbag took the form of a fish. “Chaos is one of the most inspiring concepts I’ve picked up from Franco Moschino,” said Appiolaza. “Fashion often fixates on a single message. But his whole ethos was about resisting restriction, embracing individuality, and—most importantly—limiting the limitations. Freedom means everything to me.”