Two weeks ago, Fausto Puglisi hinted at a developing theme for his upcoming debut at Roberto Cavalli — a tattered American flag billowing at full mast. In honor of his AW21 collection, the Italian designer imagined a new flag that represents the brand titled “The United States of Cavalli,” a leopard and tiger print flag resembling the design of the American flag. “The introduction of new codes. A universal flag connecting all cultures living together,” Puglisi wrote in an Instagram post.
The AW21 collection, named “Season Zero,” seems to be directed at creating a sense of unity. When we describe something as ‘zero’ (patient zero, ground zero, zero hour, etc.), we are attempting to label it as a beginning point — the point at which something is happening. The thread of American culture has been pulled at for what seems like decades, so perhaps Puglisi is offering an opportunity for the people to have a new beginning — a post-pandemic world with a new presidential administration being able to rally around a well-known, bold brand with new creative direction.
The cornerstone for ‘Season Zero’ is centralized around the idea of powerful animal prints. “Wrapped in our flag, we introduce the citizens of the United States of Cavalli. They are empowered, free, fierce and can rise by being whoever they want to be,” the brand writes in an Instagram caption. The vibe of the toga-like garments is very ‘Stone Age’ caveman in the beginning of time. The models, in true representation, are a diverse cast of people from different ethnic backgrounds. Much like the design of the flag, they are made up of half tiger and half leopard prints, and these prints become the basis for which the AW21 collection is built upon.
Among the clothes from the collection are blouses, skirts, dresses, trench coats, sweaters, pants, jackets, boots and bags with these prints on them. Another staple of the collection was the use of fangs as a feature accessory on pendants, earrings, boots, bags and belts. You will also find them used sparsely throughout the clothes as graphics on jackets, dresses and leather jacket embellishments.
The collection itself was rather large as it featured both menswear and womenswear in one composite show. The menswear skews casual with pieces like a leopard sleeve bomber jacket, a leopard print hoodie, jeans and sweatpants in a peach/black ombre, animal print knit sweaters and an array of graphic tees. The womenswear often felt a bit more on the formal side, displaying several animal print dresses with billowing skirts, animal print trench coats and blazers as well as a leather pantsuit with a paint drip design.
Simply put, ‘Season Zero’ is a start to Puglisi’s role as creative director of the brand, and that’s all it is … a start. Puglisi didn’t invent the wheel with this collection, nor did he deviate too much from a Cavalli collection of the past. It was a bold print nicely done as Roberto Cavalli does, but in order for a brand to be successful, it has to evolve. The Roberto Cavalli AW21 collection will be available on robertocavalli.com.