Palm Angels' Spring/Summer 2018 collection was unveiled in Milan on June 19th. The designer was Francesco Ragazzi, photographer and Moncler art director. The show took place on the north side of the Prada Museum, across the train tracks from the Porta Romana shopping mall. Two years ago, Philipp Plein staged a large-scale show featuring car stunts. This time, the space was filled with dirt and gravel to create a small mound, and dump trucks and heavy machinery bearing the brand's name were placed around it, with models walking around it. While this likely included a message against terrorism, it attracted attention, even among the men's collections this season, which saw an increase in outdoor runways, including in Paris. The women's collection was also unveiled at the same time, and the first look featured purple wide-leg pants with rainbow side stripes and a fireman's coat made of contrasting materials. The full-zip jacket covers the entire garment, even the hood, and features frameless sunglasses. Long waist belts and straps with buckles and carabiners are common details throughout the collection. The women's line has been further refined, with nylon off-the-shoulder dresses featuring drawcords for shaping, nylon parkas featuring the brand's iconic palm tree motif, racy lingerie pieces, and metallic swimwear. The men's collection centers around the brand's signature logo tracksuit, with overdyed military jackets, coats, utility pants, survival pants, and poncho-style parkas with flared sleeves, all featuring mostly oversized silhouettes. The collection continues to expand, incorporating elements of West Coast streetcore culture, including skateboarding, surfing, hip-hop, and celebrity influences, as the brand's core concept. In 2014, Ragazzi published "Palm Angels," a photobook of L.A. skateboarders that became the brand's founding element. Based on this work, which attracted attention thanks to an introduction by Pharrell Williams, the brand's debut collection was announced in January 2015. The high-quality, Italian-made streetwear garnered praise, and sales began in June of the same year at Colette, Selfridges, and select stores in Japan. The brand presented in Paris in 2016 and made its runway debut at Milan Collection in January of this year. While this was only the brand's second show, the power of its creative worldview is astounding. Expectations are high in the market, with the brand being featured prominently at the Excelsior department store in the Duomo during Fashion Week. The momentum of the rapidly growing brand coincides with the growing number of young people competing in skateboarding techniques in front of Milan's central station each season. Text: Tatsuya Noda