IVO MILAN – Radical Fashion Blog

When presenting a collection, the context from which it draws inspiration, the atmosphere and local culture that shape its identity, are often overlooked. In a way, getting to know a designer, a company or a brand has a lot to do with geography.

While globalization tends to erase local distinctiveness, homogenizing knowledge, tastes and preferences, there are, in parallel, realities that quietly resists, capable of synthesizing the modernity of contemporary metropolises with the ancient wisdom of remote lands, where customs and traditions express a deep connection and respectful balance between humans and nature.

This is clearly the case with Bergfabel, a South Tyrol brand whose name combines the German word ‘Berg’ (mountain) and ‘Fabel’ (folk tale), a language still deeply rooted in Vipiteno, a small village nestled in the South Tyrolean Alps on the border with Austria, where Klaus Plank, the brand’s designer, was born.

Alpine landscapes, towering mountains and long green valleys, pastures and flowers bordered by coniferous forests, speak to the long human adaptation to the harshness of cold winters and the gentleness of spring.

It’s an aesthetic harmony, a mutual, happy anthropization that is easily found in Bergfabel’s garments: in the color palette that follows the seasonal rhythm, in the preference for natural fibers, rustic wools, and liven-in-looking cottons, and in the traces of South Tyrolean folklore visible in certain garments and jackets, in the cuts and hand-finished details.

The more traditional aspects are softened by the big textile research carried out by Klaus and his wife Barbara, and by their skill in creating silhouettes that – through carefully placed formal gestures such as pleats between slits, sleeve hems, and borders – are ideal for more international contexts, made for travel and for feeling at ease, anytime and anywhere

Because the underlying idea behind Bergfabel’s stylistic approach is not only to keep the connection with its native land alive, but above all, to offer it in its essence, an habitat that brings pleasure and comfort to the wearer, just like immersing oneself in the landscapes of the high Tyrolean valleys.

After an incredibly long and demanding day at Comme des Garçons, in the historic show-room on Place Vendôme in Paris, I decide to push through a bit longer and visit Manuelle Guibal at Quai aux Fleurs, inside the Ile de la Cité. I know it’s close, but I am so exhausted that I don’t even have the energy to search for the address on my historic map.

I take a taxi and let it carry me to the destination, without thinking about anything except how foolish I was not to choose the metro in order to avoid Paris rush-hour traffic. Close to my destination, a violent thunderstorm hits, one of those targeted storms, with clear skies on one side and threatening dark clouds, of course on my side. It delivers its final blows: just enough time to get out of the car and cross the streets, I find myself drenched from head to toe.

Weary, cold and slightly disheartened, I step into the lively Guibal’s show-room. My “Bonsoir, IVO MILAN”, cuts through the buzzing chatter, drawing surprised faces and wide eyes toward me, making me feel like a mere shadow of myself. At that very moment, a warm male voice dissolves any hesitation and greets me with a single, simple question: “Champagne?”

I love telling the story of how the collaboration with Manuelle Guibal began, because her world is just like this: joyful and marked by a welcoming rhythm, instantly familiar, full of complicity, professionalism and deep involvement. The Maison is like a family, a gynaeceum of women where Manuelle reassures and uplifts each one, listening with passionate and tender gaze, curiously observing how her clientele responds to each seasonal offering and enjoying getting to know their diverse backgrounds.

The designer works with color, interpreting it across different styles and fabrics, presenting it in a way that is both captivating and desirable. The creative soul – she also is a sculptor and a painter – and her sociable nature allow her to easily connect with local artists. As a result, painter Manon Gignoux’s brushstrokes often appear on the cotton canvases of voluminous dresses and shirts.

It’s a comforting, urban language that strongly embodies a vibrant yet relaxed Parisian esprit, evident in the choice of natural fabrics: cotton, silk, and washed linen, often iridescent, layered and enriched with bright or muted tones, always offered through a distinctly feminine lens. It’s a vision that celebrates freedom of movement, simplified through the use of drawstrings, elastic bands and the joy of mixing and matching pieces freely, not only within Guibal’s collections, but also with what already exists in one’s wardrobe.

Manuelle Guibal’s world evokes friendships, engaging stories, thoughtful research, culture, collaboration and a sense of the contemporary. It’s a generous world, full of the joie de vivre, attention and sentiment, work and sustainability

But it’s in the Maison’s own words that best define its atmosphere:

A spacious and light-filled place, a pot-pourri of sensations. You might hear Japanese, English, French, Portoguese or New Zealand accents, and feel as though you’re traveling the world through a swirl of voices, sounds and overlapping images. You might dream of escaping to wild, sandy beaches with swaying coconut palms… But don’t be fooled, Manuelle Guibal’s world is also a buzzing hive of research, dedication and activity!

Anyone passing through Padua is familiar with the windows of our store. An opportunity where the garment is placed on a sort of stage, set against a backdrop of backlit panels.

These suspended panels, overlooking the portico of Via Altinate—right in front of Padua’s oldest church, Santa Sofia—are replaced periodically. They are abstract canvases, often ‘borrowed’ from contemporary artists. Many times, they have been provided by Mirco Fabio Mariotto, an architect and dear longtime friend, whose computer-generated work often feels more painterly than digital.

Website: https://www.fabiomariotto.it/

Each time, the choice falls on colors that evoke the current season or that best serve as a scenic backdrop for the outfits on display, in a delicate balance of light and the reflections of the glass, illuminated throughout the day.

What’s particularly fascinating is the story behind our most recent selections. This collaboration actually began through a rich exchange of emails with a customer from the United States. While inquiring about some pieces she had seen in our online catalog, she led us to discover her own magnificent artistic world.

The deeply human exchange and shared aesthetic sensibility have led to this extraordinary collaboration between Eliza K. Thomas of Austin, Texas, and our store…

Sito: https://www.elizakthomas.com/

A story of craftmanship, family and excellence – this is Avant Toi, an Italian brand born in Genoa in 1955 with the purchase of its first knitting machine and the determination of Lia Gambetta, the founder.

This journey has unfolded across the various phases of Italy’s economic landscape and, despite significant challenges within the textile industry, the company has grown and gained strenght over time, thanks to generational transitions, a close-knit team of collaborators and other key synergies: innovation, through investment in high-tech machinery, artisanal craftmanship (much of the work is still done by hand), the choice of noble yarns (cashmere, silk, linen and organic cotton) and a unique chromatic experimentation.

Mirko, Lia’s son, brings an artistic sensitivity and passion for painting that defines the brand’s contemporary identity. Inspired by hand-painting techniques, Mirko seeks knitwear as an occasion to explore the infinite potential of color. Starting from neutral or dark bases, different chromatic themes take abstract shapes, often shaded by the use of airbrushing, or more textured, in laminated yarns, almost metallic.

The world of Avant Toi, from essential silhouettes and effortless wearability, offers an endless spectrum of colors that, depending on the selected fiber, develops in exponential variations and, with remarkable versatility, moves from everyday wear to a more expressive need, without formal ostentation, but with a deep sense of personal satisfaction.

Here’s a sneak peek at our Spring/Summer 2025 selection.

Long and flared dress, in laminated and glittery silk and elastan camouflage

Hip-lenght sweater, wide, in cotton and polyamide mouliné knit hand dyed

Hip-lenght sweater, wide, in linen and cotton knit hand dyed

Short and wide cardigan in cotton and polyamide mouliné knit hand dyed

Long and wide sweater in laminated linen knit hand dyed