Every brand has a ‘cash cow’ design. Kenzo has its tiger sweatshirts, Givenchy has its dog print tees and Balmain has its biker jeans. These are usually repeated season after season to masses of joyful fashion groupies who hungrily gobble them up. Now, I’m not saying this is a bad thing. These repetitive lines allow brands to fund other projects like couture and runway collections that don’t necessarily sell volumes, but help to establish a designer’s creative tone of voice.
Currently, no other is more attractive to the eye and the figure than Valentino’s camouflage print. Taking something that was designed to help the wearer blend into their surrounding, Valentino’s designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, have turned this on its head with the wearer standing out from their environment with contrasting highlights of neon blue, orange, or pink.
By creating a goldmine of a print, Valentino have been able to feature this across all their designs and multiple fabrications. From suede trainers to nylon jackets, neoprene bags to leather wallets, the possibilities are endless. So what better way to showcase this print in the SS14 collections than in the mens accessories, particularly the backpack. No one can dispute the results, Valentino have produced a sophisticated collection for the modern gentleman but with a youthful and sometime humorous twist while still making a profit.
Valentino nylon and leather backpack