A veritable celebration of the traditional arts of Puglia, the 2021 cruise collection presented last July, showcases the excellence of priceless savoir-faire.
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From the fairy-tale beauty of the Luminarie, revisited in flamboyant motifs, to wildflowers rendered by the artist Pietro Ruffo, to accessories, bags and shoes elevated by masterful perforated or sculpted leatherwork, Maria Grazia Chiuri’s creations are an ode to nature and the radiant landscapes of southern Italy.
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This collection is a choral work that celebrates the memory, values, culture and future of exceptional craftsmanship. In an experimental expression of ancestral savoir-faire, fabrics from the Le Costantine Foundation are used for a series of jackets, including the emblematic Bar. The motto of this unique place, “Amando e Cantando*”, is woven on the back of skirts.
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Echoing the iconic, flower-embroidered Miss Dior dress by Christian Dior, artist Pietro Ruffo imagines a field studded with ears of wheat evoking a summer landscape. A narrative of untamed nature is transposed onto long, light cotton dresses, shirts and shorts. Composing a symbolic writing inspired by the illustrations featured in the book De Florum Cultura – published by Giovanni Battista Ferrari in 1638 – Pietro Ruffo created five drawings of flowers adorned with adages such as “Les parfums sont les sentiments des fleurs”** (Perfumes are the feelings of flowers).
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Maria Grazia Chiuri also wished to pay homage to the Luminarie that magnify and sublimate public squares and monuments with their luminous architecture. A craft that has given life to a figurative motif on multicolored scarves, and is referenced in openwork and embroidered embellishments. These illuminations are reinterpreted by the artist Marinella Senatore, whose committed work honors participatory art.
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This collection is an example of the collective intelligence the Creative Director champions, combined with the extraordinary power of rhythms and rituals, music and dance, as a way of transcending oneself.
