Achilles Ion Gabriel launches his rebellious brand at Pitti Uomo

Known for its modern and colorful shoes, Achilles Ion Gabriel is now expanding into ready-to-wear. And to reveal his project, what better springboard than Pitti Uomo, where on Thursday he showed the first collection of his new brand of gender-neutral clothing, shoes and accessories. The Finnish footwear designer, who has been creative director of the Spanish brand Camper since 2020, created a grunge-western style with a dark touch, a la Rick Owens, revisiting men's classics.

Suits, leather garments, cargo pants, denim, nightgowns and lace blouses in sun-kissed colors were invariably worn by men and women. As if they had just stepped out of an Aki Kaurismäki cowboy movie, the models wore santiags in the brand's signature color of ash/sky blue. The looks were completed with faux fur pants, shearling-lined faux fur coat, long leather gloves and maxi belts studded with metal rings, reminiscent of a gunfighter's holster when used as shoulder straps to hold the bag.

The designer had already produced some clothes for Camper or Camperlab, but never his own collection. For the fall-winter 2024/25 season, he adopted oversized volumes and very loose cuts, a la Balenciaga, with roomy floor-length coats in gray Prince of Wales print or black bank stripes. She paired them with tone-on-tone suits of revised shapes, such as a broad-shouldered suit jacket.

The coats were cut in half, with the bottom transformed into an open skirt, layered over a pair of trousers worn with a suit jacket, all cut from the same plaid tweed. The collar stood out from the traditional men's striped shirt, while the suits were made of wrinkled fabrics. These weren't really a novelty as they have been seen on the track many times before.

In addition to these revised men's wardrobe essentials, Achilles Ion Gabriel also followed a more urban vein to create a modern look with sweatshirts, baseball caps, and shredded nylon cargoes. The emphasis was on leather pieces. Traces of paint seemed to drool over some of the shiny black leather coats, while jackets and pants appeared to have been scratched or scribbled on.

We were probably expecting more daring pieces from the designer, who expresses his creative verve mainly through details, such as the 'move bitch', which could be read on the metal tips of cowboy boots… as long as you had binoculars. The boots will undoubtedly be one of the best-selling pieces.

Backed by two financial partners from his own circle, Achilles Ion Gabriel has his clothes manufactured in Italy and the United Kingdom and has set up his studio in Paris.