Angela Missoni: new knits
Missoni's creative director on why the fashion house is so unique and its latest A/W 18 men's collection

For our latest collection, we were inspired by New York in the 1980s, and in particular Jean-Michel Basquiat. During this time period, from the end of the 1970s and into the 1980s, the artistic community wore Missoni menswear, so it's an inspiration that already had strong ties with that world.
Of course, I never look at the past or the archives and simply reproduce designs. I am always updating, because that is my nature. I am always looking forward. My purpose is to add a sense of uniqueness to the menswear and keep a focus on single items, because I believe that men buy clothing in this way and every piece has to be very strong and have a lot of personality.
It's interesting to think that in the decades since those early days, our idea of knitwear has changed from something that was very much associated with a sweater or a cardigan to a process that can be used to make coats, trousers and jackets. I love the idea of having more structured knitwear, so I started backing [putting a layer of fabric behind] certain knits for men, from fine ones to thicker versions, knowing that in this way I could create more tailored pieces.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
One of the special things about the way we knit at Missoni is that even though we might produce a more structured garment, it still looks and feels like a knitted piece. Additionally, there's the advantage of having your own unique fabric – we create many of our own fabrics because we knit them ourselves. Basically, everything you see in a Missoni collection is very distinctive.
Another thing I feel we should do is number everything we produce as a limited piece – we should number everything because we never exceed 500 pieces of a style.
The way we work, producing the majority of our pieces in our factory, means that we are able to tailor all the details. For example, you might change the gauge, or combine colours, or move a colour from one place to another. We also buy and dye our own yarns; we are not committed to outside factories to purchase certain yarns, which gives us the freedom to produce something completely different.
ANGELA MISSONI has been the creative director of Missoni for more than two decades; missoni.com
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Gaza is running out of cash
Under The Radar Palestinians pay the price as black market springs up around banknotes and coins
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Law firms: Caving to White House pressure
Feature Trump targets major law firms tied to his past investigations
By The Week US Published
-
Venezuelan deportees: Locked up for tattoos?
Feature A former pro soccer player was deported after U.S. authorities claimed his tattoo proved he belonged to a Venezuelan gang
By The Week US Published