A highlight of this year’s event, MINI Fashion’s Beyond Native was held in the Alcatraz section of Stazione Leopolda in Florence. Launching with a capsule collection—consisting of five designs from five up-and-coming international designers—each piece is telling of the individual designer’s country of origin and where they live now. For Johanna and Tutia this meant contrasting Vietnamese materials with local German ones. A clutch bag that is one half leather, but when flipped reveals a striking parachute silk reflective of the tarpaulins used to protect fishermen and merchants in the markets of Vietnam.

“The opportunity to show at such an international stage with the amount global attention Pitti generates was so enriching for us, both personally and commercially.”

Johanna Perret

“Our aim through the collaboration with these five creatives is to provide a platform for the unique energy which only the fusion of disparate cultural influences can generate,“ explains Sabine Ringel, Creative Lead at MINI Fashion. Alongside the Perret Schaad design were four other selected designers: Post Imperial, a line by Niyi Okuboyejo who was born in Lagos but lives and works in New York. Brazilian Diego Vanassibara moved to London to complete his footwear studies at Cordwainer’s and created a take on the traditional Derby style shoe for MINI using black leather and white vulcanized rubber. Edwina Hörl referenced her Austrian and Japanese roots with a reinterpretation of the Haori, a traditional coat worn over a kimono. Living between Milan and Shanghai, label Pronounce designed a sweatshirt for MINI in silk, jersey and denim to symbolize the meeting of cultures. As Sabine explains; “The richness and depth of the work produced by these well-travelled designers only exist because of their decision to cross borders.”

We spent the afternoon touring the city with Johanna Perret and Patrick Mason, eating gelato, and gaining a first-hand glimpse into the third in the series of MINI’s limited edition capsule collection.

“Florence is one of my favourite cities so it did not feel like work, but rather we were able to enjoy the time in a great atmosphere with interesting people.”

Johanna Perret

Many thanks, Johanna for entertaining us in Florence during the latest Pitti Uomo 92.

All pieces from the MINI Fashion Beyond Native collection will be available this fall online. For more information on each of the designers and to see their latest collections, see their links below.

MINI Fashion has been an official partner of Pitti Immagine since 2015.

Diego Vanassibara / www.diegovanassibara.com
Edwina Hörl / www.edwinahoerl.com
Pronounce / www.pronouncestudio.com
Post-Imperial / www.post-imperial.com
Perret Schaad / www.perretschaad.com

Inspired by this Florentine feature? Check out our other stories in Italy here.

Text: Andie Cusick
Photography: Stefano Carloni