Milano Moda Uomo: Brioni and Tod’s

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jun 20, 2023

Two powerhouses of Italian luxury – Brioni and Tod’s - presented admirable collections this weekend. The first at the top of an iconic skyscraper, the second close by in a classy modernist garden.
 

Brioni: Brilliant at Torre Breda

Everyone has been talking about quiet luxury of late, though the brand that really whispers it most smoothly is Brioni.
 
Under designer Norbert Stumpfl, Brioni is all about subtle chic, and rarefied advances in designer. Menswear couture that is classy and cool - aesthetically and physically.

Like his superb new black tuxedo with raised designs, made by craftspeople delicately teasing out the threads to create velvet geometric patterns. 
 
“It’s about listening to our clients – who want new for evening,” explained the dapper Norbert.
 
Or consider his innovative new micro herringbone jacket and matching shirt in black, gray and navy, made by screen printing, then overprinting with real silver. Stumpfl’s color palette was also spot on like a lemon cashmere double-breasted blazer paired with a rose-hued gents shirt; or a feather light silk and cashmere shawl collar suit in burgundy on a mannequin standing before a cooper birch tree in the penthouse garden of Torre Breda, a beautiful 1950s 117-meter-high skyscraper that has just reopened.
 
“They want lightness and I give them lightness,” explained Norbert, attired in a swish iridescent blazer.
 
The brand has practiced the same policy in its careful expansion. Under CEO Mehdi Benabadji they have been carefully refurbishing stores internationally bringing their network to 35 this year.

“Brioni is a Roman gentleman who is fortunate enough to afford several homes in major cities. So, we want a sense of entering an elegant Roman apartment when you visit our stores?” explained Benabadji.
 
“Our focus is to refurbish stores in the US, where we opened in Washington. And, we are refurbishing our store in Zurich in August, and also in Kyoto,” the CEO explained.
 
Brioni has just finished updating in Milan on via Gesu, though its biggest flagship is in London on Bruton Street. 
 
“It’s very special, as it’s a townhouse and like a home. It’s like our concept car, and then we refine that look,” the CEO noted.
 
Each new store includes Italian design pieces with 1970s and 80s vibes, and examples of Brioni’s partnership with MITA Foundation, a famed former Italian manufacturer of tapestries and carpets, which worked with designers.
 
“Their factory closed in the 70s but via the foundation we translate our designs into tapestries and put them into stores. We want to keep a sense of precious about Brioni,” added Mehdi.
 
Looking ahead, Benabadji is predicting solid double-digit growth, aided by sales in department and specialty stores. All told, the brand has about 150 accounts.
 
“We are in Harrods but not everywhere. We need partners  who are capable of explaining our product. We don’t want to be with young designers and hype,” Mehdi concluded.
 

Tod’s: Vibrant at Villa Necchi

Plenty of action at Tod’s this season, whose normally hyper restricted presentation in the Villa Necchi was suddenly packed with hundreds of new admirers.
 
After a couple of tricky years, Tod’s seems very focused both artistically and commercially. The natty folks crowding into the villa’s show-space to see the latest collection attested to that.
 
Entitled Un Giardino Italiano and revealed amid the verdant splendor of the Villa Necchi’s own garden, it was a case of focusing on rarefied materials with a new easier silhouette.
 
For next summer, designer Walter Chiapponi worked in tones of dark earth, sandstone and putty. Seen in creamy suede shirts jackets or nylon jerkins or tufa-hued suede dusters, worn with single pleated pants.
 
“I was thinking of a beautiful place where I like to stay, which is the country here I go every week. But collection wise, it’s quite the opposite. Sleek tailoring, super sharp and minimal. Making the banal super sophisticated. When outlines, color and shape speak, and decoration doesn’t. Functionality and not embellishment,” explained Chiapponi. 

 Walter also dreamed up a fresh take on the monogram, a triangular leather pattern seen in structured cotton field jackets or nylon and fabric bombers. For wet days, the designer suggested fresh light peacoat and windbreakers cut short and trim.
 
An accessories driven business, Tod’s displayed a new Greca belt and a woven leather belt with a T Timeless buckle. While the maison’s iconic studded moccasin, the Gommino, came with a new Bubble version with a curled toe, the better to negotiate rocky paths.
 
The scores of Chinese editors, buyers and influencers also underlined that Tod’s is moving ahead rapidly in China. To meet the increased demand, it has beefed up its menswear team with several key hires.
 
Underlining the ebullient mood, guests were served delicious pink Bellinis, prepared by Casa Cipriani Milano, no less.