While many fashion designers are rethinking formalwear, there’s a new brand in town that is showing a different path for streetwear: logo-free, luxe and with a strong point of view.
At its debut on Milan’s fashion schedule, Mordecai made an impact with an appealing study on silhouettes and a cool blend of outerwear, tailoring, nods to martial arts and cross-pollinations of different cultures, from North Africa to the Far East.
Founder Ludovico Bruno is no newbie. He started his career as a knitwear designer at the elbow of Edward Buchanan — who like a proud brother stopped by the presentation and took videos — before moving to Moncler to work on the Gamme Bleu and Gamme Rouge lines with Thom Browne and Giambattista Valli respectively, and then becoming head designer for Moncler Genius.
So Mordecai is not a post-graduation leap-in-the-dark kind of project — and it shows. Bruno’s skilled hands, trained eye for product and, most importantly, level of self-awareness that can only come from experience and maturity translated into a brand with strong identity — the best asset to have in an increasingly crowded market.
His viewpoint was expressed with a distinctive silhouette, loose yet measured, featuring rounded shoulders and roomy pants, yet still accenting the waist. It was in continuation of the pilot collection Bruno launched for spring 2024 and immediately garnered attention from buyers. Only here the focus on wardrobe archetypes such as parkas, windbreakers, field jackets and blazer jackets was restated with even more vigor, as Bruno further explored the theme of lightness and how to offer clothes that keep you warm while oozing cool.
Super lightweight puffers in maxi proportions, judogi-inspired jackets and pants with deep folds opening below the waist and tapering at the ankle were beautiful and rendered in new fabrics and colors, such as cognac, burnt brown and dark gray. Marking a return to his beginnings, Bruno also dove into knitwear, turning hoodies and sweatshirts into knitted cashmere grommet pieces or offering textured vests and sweaters inspired by Berber carpets. Other graphic motifs evoked the reference, as seen in the cuff detailing on Mordecai’s first tuxedo, which led Bruno to start experimenting with slimmer shapes, too.
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