Emporio Armani's 2018 Spring/Summer Men's Collection was held in Milan on June 18th. Navy suits belted at the waist were paired with wrap skirts and relaxed silhouettes, including work pants, cargo pants, and hakama-like trousers. The collection began with a tranquil look, featuring shirts paired with collarless kimonos, creating a monochromatic grouping that evoked a journey from navy to indigo. This season's theme was "A Dialogue with Memories of Japan." The theme of Japonism appeared throughout, with details like carp motifs on collarless haori jackets, a Nishijin-ori flight jacket with cherry blossom, plum, and chrysanthemum motifs on an indigo jacket, and crane motifs on layered black hakama pants. The presence of jackets with single-character buttons (Chinese buttons) tied in the Buddha knot (Asian knot) throughout the collection evokes a nod to FACETASM, a Tokyo-based designer whom Armani supported as a new designer last season and invited to Milan Men's. Various motifs, including dragons, clouds, and pine trees, were styled with glen plaid pants, and the entire collection featured Japanese elements, including knitwear, small-pattern jackets, parkas, and kimono-colored jackets. "I was deeply moved by the hospitality, aesthetics, and traditions I saw when I first visited Japan 35 years ago. That inspiration is the theme of this collection," commented the designer, and the finale saw a model leading the way in a karate fighter pose. Following the finale, Shawn Mendes, featured in the new Emporio Armani Connected watch campaign, took to the stage. A video of the touchscreen smartwatch, which was filmed in Sean's hometown of Toronto, was also released at the same time.

Text: Tatsuya Noda