S Style’s “Denim Lab” Unveils Eight International Talents
Recently featured at Pitti Immagine, S Style arrives at Milan Fashion Week. This season marks a special edition for the platform, launched in 2020 and dedicated to emerging and responsible brands. Titled Denim Lab, the project first took shape last year, when a selection of young labels was invited to create a denim look using fabrics developed through innovative processes designed to minimise resource consumption, with technical support and materials provided and co-developed by Kering’s Material Innovation Lab. As explained by journalist and curator Giorgia Cantarini, the mind behind S Style Denim Lab: “Denim is a universal fabric, yet also one of the most complex in terms of environmental impact. With this edition of S Style, we want to prove that it can be reimagined sustainably, bringing together research, innovation and creativity. Not only workwear, but couture and innovation too.” For this reason, the central theme is water—the most essential resource for the textile industry, and for denim in particular. The focus directly echoes Kering’s Water Strategy, which aims to achieve a Net Water-Positive impact by 2050. Rising to the challenge is a roster of international talents who have reinterpreted denim with a sustainable and experimental approach, working with fabrics created by PureDenim and drawing on Tonello’s expertise in washes and treatments. Thus Institution (Georgia–Italy), Gerrit Jacob (Germany), Jeanne Friot (France), Macy Grimshaw (United Kingdom), Nadya Dzyak (Ukraine), Sia Arnika (Denmark), Gisele Ntsama (Cameroon–Italy) and Phan Dang Hoang (Vietnam) presented the striking results of their work at Fondazione Sozzani in Via Tazzoli. The showcase was framed by a site-specific installation by Italo-Argentine artist Mariano Franzetti, crafted from recycled denim and regenerative-agriculture fabrics supplied by Berto.
Text: Giuliano Deidda
Photos: Niccolò Campita
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