The basic ingredients of the Mediterranean cuisine become to the Italian designer the best synthesis of a project which choose the brightness of the red colour as a telling of the most light natural textile versions. The linen, the cotton and the silk lead the shade through different levels of movement and expression. The chromatic note assumes on the silk the airy wideness of the twilight sea breeze, while on the linen, always washed and creased, the harshness of the summer heat has been mitigated by the coolest of the fibres and drawn with the naïve signs of a bad managed paint brush on the weft of the basketweave fabric. Again, the red insists on the cotton seersucker in tiny textures, sometimes interrupted by zebra stripes which accompany its dominance or, more discretely, brighten up the joyful floral bouquet of the Londoner liberty.

But the Gregis relaxed language can’t take itself to the extreme only on the crimson, to the initial Paamboli she commits only the concision appropriate to un unforgettable evocation: the summer!

With no hesitation it is colour, joy and fantasy…it is holiday, blue, dazzled white, ecrù or printed as a souvenir on carefree pink jackets.

Daniela Gregis dress with top bodice in plain coloured cotton, skirt in cotton patchwork and garment washed linen, different dark tones, full shoulder with 3/4 sleeves and internal split, 2 pockets, eyelets at the sides for drapery hem, doubled over and reversible.

Flip-flop Trippen sandal with classic large sole, cowhide metallic leather strings drawing an open V on the instep, band around the ankle with velcro closure, rubber contour sole.

Stainless steel La Molla necklace.

Daniela Gregis longuette dress in linen and cotton, cotton singlet bodice with boat neckline, wide pleated skirt in linen, side pockets, raw cut two-colour seams.

Daniela Gregis slightly tapered jacket in cotton liberty with “travel” print, garment washed, single breasted, collar with small lapel, closure with one fabric cufflink button, 2 pockets sewn onto hemline, one central split on the back.

Trippen sandal with large sole, cowhide leather side edge and cotton string crossing all the instep, string closure around the ankle, rubber contour sole.

Daniela Gregis linen singlet top with thin straps, flat and fitted at the top, 2 closed splits folding outwards on the sides, in linen.

Daniela Gregis wide leg psychedelic polygon painted cotton seersucker trousers, turn-up in the end, side pockets, coulisse closure with string-

Daniela Gregis short jacket in washed and chequered cotton, one breast with small lapel, closure with large safety pin, sleeves above wrist with internal split, straight cut, one pocket sewn onto breast and two side pockets along the hemline.

Daniela Gregis medium multicoloured bag in hand-worked cotton and hemp, flattened at the bottom basket shape, double scoubidou handle rum from side to side, it can be worn as a shoulder bag, rounded bottom, h 18 cm, w 17 cm, bottom diameter 36 cm.

Trippen sandal with large sole, cowhide leather side edge and cotton string crossing all the instep, string closure around the ankle, rubber contour sole.

Mentaelimone (Mintandlemon) – written as one word – is the name of the Spring/Summer 2013 collection by Daniela Gregis. It calls attention to the goods that the earth has to offer and provides a clue as to where the designer from Bergamo is directing her gaze.

The vaguely rural spirit conjured up in her previous creations came through directly from the scenic setting inside the Oratory of the Passion at the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan. Here, the pots of herbs, glass bottles for collecting water and depictions of farmers immersed in the ascetic calm of gardening with wheelbarrows and various tools made for an intimate and welcoming atmosphere – in stark contrast to the aggressive pace of other walkways – to accompany the debut of the familiarly voluminous clothing in that most desirable of materials for the summer season – linen.

The fabrics seem to have been deliberately mistreated and then mended, their folds and cuts bearing the marks of expert craftsmanship. Gregis’ staff certainly must know how to knit and crochet, or weave baskets and hair, which require deft hand movements and a trained eye to follow asymmetrical patterns and explore solutions that go beyond what has already been done before; truly the sure sign of an innovative collection.

This expertise is nourished by comparisons with the likes of Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, as well as through extensive research from travel and contacts that have permitted, as an exclusive client of the renowned Liberty of London, magnificent participation in the summer collection of dresses and jackets.

The Gregis phenomenon continues to grow, cultivating, along with those landscapes sketched in natural dyes, seasonal wear with a very human and poetic quality.

Vlas Blomme, in Flemish, means “The flax flower”. This is a clear tribute to Flanders, the world’s capital of the production and manufacture of this valuable fibre, and also a tribute to flax, the material of the entire summer collection.

Designed by the Japanese Satoshi Ishii, the brand uses the precious material from Kortrijk, one of the most important places for flax production in Belgium, to give shape to a simple selection of items of clothing, specifically designed to enhance the material’s potentials.

The design infact proposes a perfect and surprising union of shape and fabric. The suggestions of the vast Flemish plains are evoked and recalled through the colours and patterns. They talk about skies, trees and country life, that is rural and light-hearted at the same time. The evident ability to give shape to materials, however, goes beyond the common, ordinary shapes of isolated, rural lives. The lines run with the wind, juxtapose and create uncertain outlines.

A deep care and an evident love for the fabrics can be seen on collars and shoulders, where convolute forms are created that are still very sober.

Vlas Blomme follows a path that indulges in environmental subjects, working on the qualities of the best natural fibre, and above all being able to test its brand new, fresh, lyrical possibilities.