An Allegory of Air
Close up from an Allegory of Air (1568) by Jan Brueghel the Elder
A more vibrant version of the painting from the workshop of Jan Brueghel the Elder
Autumn/Winter 2022
Brioni is one of those brands that I have not checked up on since whatever Justin O’Shea tried (and failed) to achieve there back in 2016. The disastrous rebranding attempt, with Metallic somehow fronting the advertising campaign, fell flat and the brand was left facing an identity crisis to say the least. Apparently things have turned around for the better in the past few years, and I am glad I checked in again, because designer Norbert Stumpfl has been doing some beautiful work there. There is a casual elegance and softness (quite literally where fabric choices are concerned) to Stumpfl’s work at Brioni that I find incredibly appealing.
Stumpfl is one of those designers who seems to have worked everywhere of note and found praise at all houses. While still at Saint Martins he helped a friend tailor some Alexander McQueen pieces the night before a collection shoot and McQueen was so impressed by his work that he hired him to work on tailoring pieces for the brand. After his graduation in 2005 Alber Elbaz picked him to be the number two for the relaunch of Lanvin menswear. He worked at Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton, and Kim Jones connected him with Haider Ackermann when the latter was designing at Berluti (my favourite Berluti collections in recent memory). Ackermann is full of praise for Stumpfl and his “immaculate proportions”, saying that “he’s quiet but he’s confident, and that’s what luxury is about…this elegance of discretion”.
Brioni under Stumpfl’s direction has regained a sense of identity and although the designer respects tradition and the atelier offers bespoke fittings again, it is far from boring, for there is a sense of playfulness that makes the brand feel exciting. Speaking on his design ethos, Stumpfl states “I’m pursuing an ideal of luxury which is very private and personal”, which is music to my ears - “No labels, no logos, it’s only for you to know. It’s just making the man look more beautiful, with no artifice. You see a man wearing Brioni in the street and you look at his face and think, ‘Oh, he looks so good!’ I want just his personality to shine.”
The Autumn/Winter 2022 collection was inspired by Jan Brueghel the Elder’s painting Allegory of Air, which forms part of the Allegory of the Elements series by the Flemish artist. Printed allegories at the time tended to focus on the allegorical human figure with their recognisable motifs and attributes, however in this painting the sky and landscape hold a prominence of their own. The painting features all manner of exquisite birds, either dutifully gathered at the feet of Urania, goddess of astronomy, or caught in full flight along with the winged cherubs who surround the goddess.
Taking air as his inspiration, Stumpfl says he sought to create substance in the absence of weight, leading to a focus on textures. Thus we see the soft alpaca wool outerwear, cashmeres, ultrafine wools, satin silks, and even black crocodile moisturised with aloe for softness. As someone who has sensory objects in his self-soothing kit, this speaks to me in all the right ways - soft and cosy fabrics are a luxury all of their own for me. I was also interested to see the use of silk satin one usually sees used in evening dresses for women, and the blazer with those hammered silver scales that felt more likely to again adorn an evening dress. I loved the lapis blue pieces, although a full emerald green silk satin look also features in the collection, which I have opted not to include in the images above because it seemed jarring to me.
These may not be clothes that I would personally choose to wear anytime soon, but I love the fact that there is such consistent quiet luxury being produced at Brioni. I will have to check in more often.
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