The Season Two of Armarium (the third, counting from Season Zero, which was presented in September 2022) took inspiration from Brutalist architecture, spurred by a visit to Villa Atelier, a 1970s villa designed by Maurizio Betta on Lake Garda. For designer Giorgia Gabriele, Brutalism is about grace and sobriety juxtaposed with the roughness of materials and the rationality of structures, all underpinned by the severity of a philosophy that allows no deviations. Her concept of fashion is an exploration of the dualism between image and functionality, where neither element yields to the other.
Armarium stemmed from the personal needs of a woman who, upon becoming a mother, reevaluated the thought behind clothes. “Armarium leaves no space for the superfluous but becomes a spokesperson for an attitude oriented toward simplicity and a relentless pursuit of essentiality. Those who wear it are faithful to minimalism,” said Gabriele. Her goal is not merely to design clothes for models’ bodies or to sell garments, but to create a wardrobe that every woman can identify with in her everyday life.
The palette ranged from white and blue to black and gray, with hints of butter, emphasizing the high quality of fabrics, including silk, wool, and nappa, along with bouclé cotton thread made compact through the introduction of nylon in weaving. New additions include Bermuda shorts and cargo skirts, along with the raw-cut double-viscose crepe versions of the Lula skirt, one of the brand’s bestsellers, designed to reveal the structural elements and precision of the lines. A wide range of accessories was introduced, from belts to bags, including a micro version of the Anna bag. Key pieces included outerwear, from four-season fabric blazers to trench coats.
In the Milan showroom, furniture designed by Gabriele—available upon request—supplied the background for the garments. Craftsmanship remains the brand’s strong point, with an ongoing quest for perfection that, as Gabriele noted, has not yet been fully attained. Her approach embodies a Milanese spirit with an international attitude.
