Some brands put on fashion shows to launch new collections. Others host parties or drop starry campaigns. Moncler, meanwhile, builds its own city.

The Italian coat maker closed out Shanghai Fashion Week with an event (dubbed ‘The City of Genius’) that was nothing short of an extravaganza: Its roster of 10 guest designers showcased their new collections in a 30,000 square meter shipyard on the banks of the city’s Huangpu River; 8,000 attendees turned up, while a further 57 million guests tuned in to watch the event unfold from the comfort of their sofas. A-listers from Rihanna to Anne Hathaway travelled to China specially for the event.

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Moncler first debuted its Genius concept in 2018, ditching seasonal fashion week catwalk shows for a new model: invite a rotating roster of designers to interpret Moncler’s DNA and signature puffy with their own brand signature, creating distinct collections that would be drip-fed to shoppers throughout the year via a series of limited edition drops.

The concept has since evolved to include large-scale events to kick off each new guest roster, while the mix of guest designers has shifted too, going beyond fashion design talent to also tap a broader range of cultural creatives. The latest lineup included not just Rick Owens, Palm Angels, Jil Sander, Hiroshi Fujiwara, and a Mercedes-Benz collection by Kenzo artistic director Nigo, but also actor and musician Donald Glover; rapper A$AP Rocky; singer Willow Smith; editor Edward Enninful; and artist Lulu Li.

Rihanna and Anne Hathaway travelled especially for the event.

‘For me, the most important [thing] is energy. Energy, energy, energy. I think different industries and cultures, they give a strong energy to the brand,’ Moncler CEO Remo Ruffini explained at a press conference on the day of the event. ‘That’s why here, like last [edition], it’s a totally different crowd…This kind of talent is talking to different cultures and different people around the world.’

Different industries and cultures, they give a strong energy to the brand.

The moment marked the first time Moncler had taken its Genius events format outside of Europe, with the brand pulling out all the stops (and then some) for the occasion. Within Moncler’s sprawling city, each designer collaborator built a distinct neighborhood to bring their collection to life, literally immersing guests in their creative vision for their collaboration capsules.

Palm Angels transported guests to a 1970s-style Formula One racing track

Palm Angels transported guests to a 1970s style Formula One racing track, drivers zooming around the track in go-karts, while Willow Smith imagined a ‘post-apocalyptic garden’ with her industrial-looking, concrete space that had been taken over by leafy plants and trees. A$AP Rocky built a futuristic hang out amid a sprawling mountainscape, filled with puffy space-silver seating and anchored by a sound system blasting hip-hop beats. Donald Glover, meanwhile, recreated a quaint orange orchard from Gilga Farm, which he runs in Ojai, California.

Elsewhere, Lulu Li staged a one-way-mirror room; Edward Enninful showcased his collection amid extreme weather conditions (a baking desert, a windstorm, an arctic snowscape); Rick Owens built a steel tiny house; and Hiroshi Fujiwara enlisted famed British sculptor Richard Wilson to create an installation, a slick, circular pool of an unknown black liquid substance creating a mirror reflecting the silhouettes of coats suspended above it.

Lulu Li’s one-way-mirror room

Nigo designed the Mercedes Benz collection, which extended beyond clothes into the world of cars. Their neighborhood, atop a scaffolded rooftop, housed a G Class wagon clad in its own puffy Moncler jacket. (That particular model was a one-off piece, Moncler said, but a handful of shoppers will be able to buy one of 20 limited edition Moncler x Mercedes Benz by Nigo vehicles that will be released when the clothing capsule drops.)

Nigo designed both clothes and cars for the Mercedes Benz capsule

The neighbourhood tours culminated in a presentation from Jil Sander designers Lucie and Luke Meier, who chose to stage a traditional catwalk show for their vast collection.

‘We really love when everything comes together properly, the music, the sonography, the casting, the collection — we’re fans of that perfect moment, we always try to create sort of an energy and emotion with the work,’ Luke explained. ‘We love to see our clothes move,’ added Lucie. ‘They have to be alive.’

Jil Sander designers Lucie and Luke Meier staged a traditional catwalk show

After flitting between neighbourhoods, enjoying bao buns and mooncakes from the the numerous street food-style stalls along the way, guests enjoyed a live performance by musician and producer Henry Lau, who closed out the evening.

‘This Genius is the biggest we ever did,’ Ruffini said. ‘It is really a city.’

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