Stefano Pilati is back, but this time he’s stepping out on his own rather than designing for a luxury fashion house. The Italian fashion designer has racked up impressive credentials in the more than 25 years he’s been in the industry. He started off with Giorgio Armani as an assistant, then worked as assistant designer for Miu Miu, but he’s mostly known for his eight years at the helm of Yves Saint Laurent and, most recently, head of design at Ermenegildo Zegna. When he stepped down from Zegna in 2016, everyone wondered where he would head to next.
We first got wind of Pilati’s plans for a collection back in March when he posted an Instagram photo of a model in an all-black ensemble and the name of his forthcoming brand: Random Identities. The collection was showcased via a live show in SSENSE’s headquarters in Montreal, Canada earlier this week. The menswear-oriented garments eschew gender stereotypes with details like skirts, corsets, fishnets and high-heeled boots.
With prices ranging from $90 to around $400, Random Identities aims to be accessible. In an interview with Vogue, Pilati said, “An honest statement is necessary: Fashion at high prices no longer means exclusivity. My response is to produce moderately priced clothes—‘the low’— and present them in a high fashion context, creating limited-edition items which by quality of design will justify the proposal—‘the high.’”
The collection is available now at Ssense, with some pieces already selling out.
