Kiton, Corneliani Bring Cinematic Flair to Presentations

The big screen still has appeal. Kiton and Corneliani staged their presentations in their respective headquarters, creating a movie theater and unveiling a brief film. While each tackled a different subject, the initiative reflected the same goal: To communicate the values of the brand in an artistic yet direct way.

“Our collection is dubbed ‘La Verità del Fare ’ and this is what we show with the short film, how our garments are made, what’s behind our fashion, the hands at work,” said Kiton chief executive officer Antonio De Matteis as images of the artisans and tailors at the brand’s Arzano plant, near Naples, were projected on a screen nestled under bright red velvet curtains and in front of proper theater seats. “I am very proud of how transparent we are,” said De Matteis about Kiton’s pipeline.

On the other side of the movie theater was a wall filled with photos of hands at work, of “The Kiton Jacket” and “The Perfect Knot,” as if these were movie billboards, an image of founder Ciro Paone taking pride of place.

There was a whiff of the 1970s in the collection with soft and roomy shapes, as De Matteis said men now “don’t want to give up on comfort.” There also was even more attention to the color palette with several new gradient hues and pops of yellow, acid green and ocean blue and checkered patterns. Padded knits and bombers and a strong outerwear offer, also in leather and suede, flanked tailored suits and covetable ribbed knits.

Over at Corneliani, the courtyard of the brand’s Milan showroom at the 17th century Palazzo Durini was transformed into a cinema, where the brand presented the short film “The Gentle Man.” In a sequence of scenes inspired by the art of filmmaking, AI was used to show different touching life moments, from shared embraces to a father and son gazing at the sea.

“After working with dance and music, we wanted to dive deeper into a more intimate sphere,” said style director and visual merchandising manager Stefano Gaudioso Tramonte. “For Corneliani, elegance is an act of kindness and tailoring serves as an authentic portrait of our brand’s customer: the gentle man, distinguished by his character, taste, and sensibility.”

At the end of the short film, credits paid tribute to the company’s entire workforce, listing in alphabetical order the names of the people who contribute to Corneliani’s creative heritage, while models stepped from behind the screen onto a runway surrounded by vintage cinema seating.

Gaudioso Tramonte said the collection blended stylistic features of different decades, from the 1950s with tapered or wide, straight-leg pants with triple- pleat constructions and high waists to the 1970s flat ankleboots. Other strong elements were double-breasted coats with raglan shoulders; cropped bombers with graphic stitching, and the collarless jacket with rounded hems. The cozy alpaca coats and mohair knits were also standouts.