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Aristotle long ago posted that “there is no great genius without some touch of madness.” When Moncler’s Remo Ruffini first revealed his Genius format in 2018, there were some in fashion who thought he was touched by madness too: For why else shutter two highly successful fashion show formats in favor of an untested runway-free jamboree of collaboration?
It turns out that Ruffini’s instinct to reinvent his outerwear house was more powerfully rational than any expert observer could possibly have predicted. Genius expanded a year later, then in 2021 launched a digital version of the platform, all the while attracting ever-increasing amounts of eyeballs—and generating ever more eye-widening amounts of revenue.
Now, following a pause since its most recent incarnation, Genius is back. Later this month, Moncler will land in Shanghai on the final night of its fashion week in order to unveil The City of Genius, an event that the house is pitching as “a metropolis of immersive experience that will act as a global epicenter of creativity.” As with past installments of Moncler’s mega-activations, this chapter of Genius will see multiple installations simultaneously showcase the collections from a diverse group of cultural protagonists, by no means all of them rooted in fashion design. According to a release from the house, The City of Genius will be housed across a 30,000 square-meter space.
So who are those protagonists? The first Genius newcomer is Donald Glover, who will present his installation under the banner of Gilga Farm, a project he memorably outlined to GQ is “like Erewhon for culture.”
Also making his Genius debut is A$AP Rocky, the fashion-savant and musical force nonpareil. Another fresh resident in the Moncler creative superstructure is Willow Smith, who once told Vogue: “I’ve always been into everything existential and extraterrestrial.” That penchant should see Smith taking an interest in the work of fellow Genius firstimer LuLu Li, a Zen Buddhist whose multifaceted practice encompasses alien life forms and AI eyewear.
The last first-time member of the Genius supergroup this time round is no stranger to the Vogue masthead: The former editor-in-chief of our British edition and ongoing Vogue advisor, Edward Enninful will make his surprise design debut with what promises to be one of the most anticipated Moncler collaborations of them all.
Next up is established Genius member Nigo, who delivered the first part of his Moncler-curated collaboration with Mercedes-Benz in London last year. The Kenzo creative director and patron saint of streetwear returns for the second round in Shanghai. Also returning are two foundational Genius collaborators; both Hiroshi Fujiwara’s FRGMT and Francesco Ragazzi’s Palm Angels have been part of Ruffini’s set-up since the get-go.
That’s a lot of Genius in one room, even if that room does cover three hectares. But room will still remain for two more protagonists. The first is Rick Owens, while the second is Jil Sander, under the creative directorship of Lucie and Luke Meier.
According to the release sent out by Moncler to trail this fresh carnival of creativity: “The inspiration for The City of Genius comes from a 1960s study according to which 98% of five-year-olds qualified as geniuses. By the time they reached adulthood, however, that percentage decreased to 2%. The process of living and the constraints of growing up somehow de-geniuses the mind.” So get ready to be re-geniused in Shanghai (or via multiple online platforms) later this month.
