Flow State: Nicolò’s MNL Fashion Week Debut Is a Sunkissed Greek Myth
Photographed by Jom Ablay
To open this year’s event, the designer dissects the idea of ambition through the lens of Greek mythology and “a slightly surreal seaside.”
Up until last night, the chances of Rosalía’s Berghain and Lorde’s Solar Power existing in the same context as mythical Greek figures Sisyphus, Narcissus, and Icarus were slim to none. And yet the songs bookended Nicolò’s MNL Fashion WeekFashion WeekA series of seasonal events where designers debut their latest collections, setting the tone for upcoming fashion trends and showcasing creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation across the global fashion industry.Go to Fashion Week Glossary collection Flow State, which loosely considers the trio of doomed sons as its muses.
The actual runway show might come off as jarring for anyone who read the show notes beforehand; not for its aggressive references to its characters, but rather the absence of them. Nicolo Perez is the first to admit that if these personalities seem lost in translation (if slightly contrived), it was fully his intention. They were simply starting points for more significant ponderings on insatiable ambition (Icarus), its repetitive nature (Sisyphus), and at times selfish implications (Narcissus).
“I didn’t want the collection to feel heavy,” he tells Vogue. “There’s a sense of escape running through it as well: sailors, the sea, vintage resort dressing, sunlight, movement. For me, the collection is really about finding that point where effort starts to feel instinctive, and where you’re completely absorbed in what you’re doing.”
Across the showcase’s three acts, the brand’s language of graphic ready-to-wear with “details that reveal or obscure the body in different ways” finds new inflections with surface textures and exaggerations of existing silhouettes. His clean constructions are still present, only now with fringes spilling out of pockets and cascading down hems, or mother-of-pearl paillettes completely adorning a pair of trousers and shorts. Concentric sheer panels evoke ripples as in Narcissus’ lake, while avian appliqué calls to mind Icarus’ attempt at freedom.
Then, a touch of the tropics: hibiscus prints, nautical sailor shirts, and surfer board shorts. Even in terms of production design, the set was sunkissed in butter yellow and salmon pink. “For flow state, I wanted the audience to feel like they had entered this slightly surreal seaside environment,” the designer remarks.
Ruminating on the collection, Nicolo continues, “With individual pieces or ready-to-wear, you can spend a lot of time thinking about one garment on its own. A runway collection forces you to think about 30 or 40 things at the same time: how one look relates to the next, whether the proportions are becoming repetitive, where the collection needs more energy, and where you need to hold back.”
For someone who frequents retail pop-ups, the context of a show brings about an imperative for conclusiveness. “As a designer, you can keep refining something forever if you allow yourself to, but a show has a fixed date. At some point you have to trust your instincts and move forward,” he muses, pertaining not just to the garments themselves but also how they are worn and presented alongside sound and lighting design. “I like that moment when all these separate elements finally come together and the collection becomes a world rather than just a rack of clothes.”