BORSALINO MIXES 19TH CENTURY ARTS & CRAFTS WITH MODERN TOUCHES FOR SPRING

by Stephen Garner

For spring/summer 2021, Borsalino continues its stylistic research mixing notes from the past greatly inspired by the late 19th century Arts & Crafts artistic movement with a modern-day dialogue of contemporary times.

This season’s collections for both men and women are full of nature’s energetic references and materials with an artistic flow typical of the works from the late 19th-century illustrator Aubrey Beardsley’s graphics and the bi-dimensional mid-20th century optical art of Bridget Louise Riley and Victor Vasarely. The playful assortment of refined and intellectual visuals, illustrated perspectives, and chromatic designs, was conceived under the Maison’s artistic direction of creative curator Giacomo Santucci and highlights Borsalino’s new style ideologies.

Materials for the new season reaffirm the brand’s preference for natural fibers featuring raffia, papier, hemp braid, finessed Panama, and Montecristi straw, emblematic of world-renowned Ecuadorian artisanship, Borsalino craftsmanship, and Made in Italy excellence.

Genderfluid designs are key and cross over naturally into both the men’s and women’s selections, prevailing a series of optical styles that graphically reinterpret the most important elements of nature. Examples include the star, a symbol of freedom, and energy, which is seen repeatedly throughout illustrated and optical black and white designs.

There is no shortage of great classics that include the iconic Montecristi model directly from the Borsalino historical archive and a reinterpreted Rollable silhouette, which offers a choice of 28 different hatband ribbons. The renowned Medium-brim Borsalino style comes in a featherweight 50grams version for summer and with a palette choice of 20 natural colors and matching or contrasting hatband ribbons.

Finally, the beloved Bogart by Borsalino collectible is featured this season in Jorasse felt with a croco-graphic optical designed hatband. One of the Hollywood actor’s most colorful and personal quotes is specially engraved inside the hat with the phrase: “The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind.”