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ZALANDO X ASPESI: CINEMA CLUB
As the kick-off of Milan Fashion Week at the end of February, Zalando presented its capsule collection in collaboration with the Italian brand ASPESI under the theme “CINEMA CLUB”.
A recently reinterpreted homage to Italian cinema, for which a total of 16 selected film stills of iconic scenes find their place on the garments. The faces of the campaign are the young Italian actors Coco Rebecca Edogamhe (known from the Netflix in-house productions “Summertime“) and Mattia Carrano (known from the Amazon Prime series “Prisma“).
Numéro Berlin had the chance to talk to Lena-Sophie Röper, Zalando’s Director of Designer & Luxury, about the capsule collection, Italian cinema as such and the fascination for Italy itself.
Why did you choose ASPESI for this collaboration? How would you describe the DNA of Zalando and ASPESI?
This capsule collection is an extension of our strong partnership with ASPESI. We wanted to connect and excite our modern luxury customers with effortlessly chic, culturally rich styles. ASPESI – as Made in Italy, heritage rich brand – was perfect to develop an exclusive collection with meaning and cultural relevance.
What points of overlap do both brands have?
ASPESI and Zalando, both, value culture and heritage. ASPESI’s designs are deeply rooted in Italian artistry and aesthetics. At Zalando, we celebrate and highlight local culture, heritage and craftsmanship. Beyond developing beautiful clothes, we both wanted to connect with our customers on an emotional level. This collection can tell a story and be a conversation starter, which we love!
The capsule has a high proportion of nylon pieces and classic shirts. What were your thoughts when putting together the collection?
We wanted to celebrate and emphasize what ASPESI is known and loved for. Therefore logically the collection had to have wardrobe staples such as shirts included. Nylon pieces and outerwear are iconic to ASPESI, so we wanted to include these, developed freshly with a twist.
The collection is accompanied by black and white stills from iconic Italian films. What principle did you use to select the motifs? What should they transport?
We wanted the collection to transport Italian’s savoir faire; By celebrating the rich tapestry of Italian cinema with this Made In Italy collection, a perfect blend of wearable elegance and functionality, with partially genderless designs to ensure inclusivity and contemporary style. The collection combines the unique aesthetic vision of the past with the contemporary through imagery and video content with a focus on the essence of free-spirited young individuals such as a cheeky cinema dialogue between actor and film director.
ASPESI itself is an Italian brand founded in 1969, then you make further reference to Italy through the film stills of Italian classics. What brought you to Italy and what fascinates you about Italian fashion and the way it is handled?
So many things! Italy is one of the countries with the richest fashion culture and heritage. Fashion is strongly rooted in Italian DNA, and craftsmanship as well as design are valued deeply. Many brands support local productions and traditions. Textiles are sourced with meticulous attention to detail and quality, and refined construction – especially within tailoring- are at the heart of Italian fashion.
As part of the campaign you also showed two young Italian actors, what did they have to bring with them in order to be able to embody the campaign?
As our capsule collection celebrates Italian cinema, it felt natural to choose two Italian actors to embody it. With Coco Rebecca Edogamhe and Mattia Carrano, we discovered two young talents from Italy who are celebrating international success in acting in the new generation – be it leading roles in Netflix series or in feature films, they exactly envision our capsule that combines unique aesthetic vision of the past with a contemporary take on today’s fashion.
If you look at capsule collections in general: what do they have in them that distinguishes them from a normal collection?
With this capsule we wanted to offer customers something truly special, not only in terms of quantity of pieces available – it’s limited in assortment, time and stock – but also for its fashion and cultural content. Reinterpreting iconic ASPESI designs with prints of scenes from the Italian Cinema’s Golden Era, the collection is creatively so clearly defined that it simply falls within the framework of a capsule – a trend-transcending, exclusive production.
