It’s retail-therapy time at Sunnei. Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina unveiled a new store within the label’s headquarters, marking the occasion with a runway show staged outdoors in the courtyard. An elevated catwalk directly connected the presentation to the shop. Despite the frigging cold and a delayed start, the Sunnei crowd was out in force to cheer them on.
More understated and less performative than usual, this was designed as a straightforward, no-frills fashion show, with models carrying stacks of Sunnei-branded shopping bags. In today’s climate of sluggish (or nonexistent) fashion consumption, the gesture felt both sarcastic and optimistic. It was another of Sunnei’s commentaries—only disguised as a “keeping it real” mise-en-scène. For once, the clothes—often overshadowed by the theatrics—could be appreciated (for better or worse) up close. So let’s give them a proper review.
Consistent with Sunnei’s well-honed aesthetic, the designers indulged in some minimalistic downtown cool. They kept the show well edited and mercifully short (as this reviewer already pointed out, it was cold). The collection was punctuated by bursts of color, graphics, and tactile, fuzzy textures that infused it with a touch of drama (not typically a Sunnei trait). The pair also experimented with construction (how successfully is up for debate), crafting ultrasoft, armor-like tops with snap closures, as they explained postshow (but will they really sell?). Standout pieces included a voluminous, capelike sweater in electrifying green, paired with slouchy trousers, and a sleek gray slip dress in stretchy fabric accented by a quivering feather collar. Also worthy of note was a white top embedded with LED lights, displaying the headline “You Are Listening to Radio Sunnei” scrolling across the bodice. Meanwhile, the brand’s A3 and A4 bags—named after standard paper sizes—were refreshed with new modular designs.
“We didn’t want to over-conceptualize,” they explained. “But we did want to break down the dynamic where a fashion show must generate hype just to ultimately sell underwear and heavily scented fragrances. Here, what you see is what you get. The moment we’re living in calls not for fashion magic but for fashion realism. We weren’t aiming to make any one statement—let’s keep it a concept-free zone.”
