Independent brand Simon Cracker denounces luxury fashion system with upcycled parodies

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The independent Italian fashion brand Simon Cracker denounced the luxury fashion system with an upcycled collection previewed during Milan Fashion Week

MILAN — The independent Italian fashion brand Simon Cracker denounced the luxury fashion system with an upcycled collection previewed during Milan Fashion Week on Sunday that riffed on what they see as bygone days of quality and creativity.

The coed looks created from recovered and deadstock garments, materials and accessories included a tongue-in-cheek swipe at Hermes’ highly prized Birkin bag, with the designers drawing the telltale hardware on leather bags or screen-printing images of the coveted bag on sweaters.

Co-creative directors Simone Botte and Filippo Biraghi were delighted that Walmart came out with what was widely seen as a Birkin knockoff while they were working on this collection.

“People have lost interest in fashion,'' Biraghi said. «They have been taken for a ride for 20 years. And with 50 wars in the world, climate change, we all are getting poorer. There is no longer a connection between price and value. At a certain point, you can't go on.’’

The collection pokes fun at the typical Milanese signora, known in dialect as sciura, sending her up with funky tweed separates, a foulard and even a tiny dog. Each silhouette is unique, constructed from garments the pair recover from dry cleaners and other sources, and models slide into character with insouciant slouches and exaggerated catwalk strides.

The brand extended its collaboration with Doc Martens, decorated with trompe l’oeil ballerina shoes. At times, skirts, collars and decorative fringe were fashioned out of shiny tinsel packing material, and ribbons covered shoes.

The show closed with a garment