MARCELO BURLON COUNTY OF MILAN presented its Spring/Summer 2018 collection in Milan on June 17th. With each passing season, the brand's presence at the vanguard of Milan's authentic street fashion seems to grow in size. Once again, a distinctly different "tribe" gathered at the show venue, Piazza Carlo Magno, one after another, from the fashion crowds typically associated with Milano collections. A waterfall flowed from the stage, signaling the arrival of a model clad in a bright red mountain parka and red surf pants, shoulders hunched over. What appeared to be a waterfall turned out to be the face of a wave, signaling the start of a truly "shoulder-hugging" wave. The items themselves were fairly conventional: surfing-inspired wetsuit-style T-shirts and oversized hoodies for women, and aloha shirts, baseball jackets, stadium coats, mesh tank tops, and anorak parkas for men. Marcelo returned, striking with his black and red colors and graphic designs. Most pieces featured the brand's Patagonia cloth logo, Mickey Mouse silhouettes with animal motifs, track pants and denim sets with the Kappa logo on the side, and Vans sneakers—a clear collaboration. Models sprinted through bold, individual pieces, such as monochrome botanical camouflage, a gradient sunset surf palm beach print, an MA1 jacket with an ethnic triangular flag arrangement, and snake print pants, as if mocking the debate over the genres of "mode" and "luxury." The finale, in which the models gathered with the singer who had enlivened the show, signaled the start of the venue's transformation into a party venue. After the show, a group of young people streamed into the venue from the station, passing buyers and press on their way to the next brand's show and checking each other's fashions as they headed to the party. They are the real supporters of Marcelo's brand and parties.

With a wide range of titles including stylist, DJ and press, and not being a designer by profession, Marcelo Burlon's brand philosophy of increasing awareness of sharing by replacing spiritual elements with the presence of icons is steadily taking hold in Milan.

Text: Tatsuya Noda