Legendary Italian fashion house Fiorucci put the pedal to the metal for their latest collection, Full Throttle.
The collection is filled with bright, juicy red hues, slick pants and t-shirts, and the signature Fiorucci Angels wrapped in the Italian flag, all curated under Creative Director Daniel Fletcher, who competed on season one of Netflix’s fashion competition series Next in Fashion.
He became a fan favorite for his kindness and impeccable tailoring. In our conversation, it became obvious that the collection is a joyous celebration of founder Elio Fiorucci’s love of racing and having a good time, as well as a new, more innovative step into his role as artistic director, where he looks to embrace what he refers to as “both sides” of the brand’s cosmic legacy.
photos: FiorucciIf you could describe this collection in just a few words, how would you?
A sexy Italian race team dressed in full Fiorucci!
The inspiration for this collection was automobile racing and the style associated with it. What do these elements mean to the Fiorucci brand?
I’m not sure where the connection originated, maybe it came from Elio Fiorucci himself, but the archive is full of references to racing. At the start of the season, we always start with a visit to the archive and there were so many amazing Fiorucci racing items that jumped out to us that became the starting point.
How did you decide the visual aesthetics of this collection, from the loud prints to the usage of leather?
We don’t use real leather at Fiorucci, Elio was a passionate animal rights activist and a pioneer of vinyl, so it plays a big part in the collections now. I think the shininess feels very Italian and also makes me think of wet tarmac and shiny race cars so it really fits with the spirit of the collection.
photo: FiorucciWhat was your favorite way you incorporated the iconic Fiorucci Angels into the pieces?
For this season we created the Racing Angels, which have helmets and goggles on. We always try and have an Angel that has a connection to each collection or capsule and these ones came from something we found in the archive and brought some humor to it I think. Fiorucci is not always about being too serious.
Which are your favorite pieces from the collection and why?
I love the all-over-printed racing patch pieces. I’ve always been a fan of race cars and the logos they are covered in so it was fun to take these iconic badges and create our own. It’s so bold and in your face; I think it really captures that feeling you get on the cars themselves.
In which ways do you feel like this collection furthers your narrative and creative voice as menswear artistic director for Fiorucci and as a designer?
For me, there have always been two sides to Fiorucci: the sexy disco party side and then the Pop-py, whimsical, softer side to it, and with this collection, I wanted to marry those two worlds. I think the beauty of Fiorucci is that it’s never really made sense and sort of doesn’t need to either. Anything goes and that’s what makes it so unique, so I hope this collection has furthered my exploration of that.
Who do you see wearing this collection? What person do you see embodying these clothes?
It’s very Grace Jones turning up to watch the Grand Prix in full glam in the ’70s after a road trip through Italy!
Check out the entire Full Throttle collection on Fiorucci, now available.