Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
"I feel like an outsider in Italy, 'cause I have more of an American mentality perhaps. But I'm also an outsider in America, because my mentality is more Italian than theirs," says Moncler Art Director Francesco Ragazzi, who founded high-end streetwear brand Palm Angels in early 2015. The brand — which is based off a coffee table book about LA skate culture - combines Italian tailoring with laid-back Cali vibes, and has amassed a substantial following over the course of just two years. A following so substantial, that a first mono-brand store opening is on its way, in addition to an e-commerce launch in February.
I meet the latest cool kid to join Milan's fashion circle inside the city's Studio White space. The day of our interview, the Palm Angels Creative Director is in the process of shooting looks of the brand's fall/winter 2017 collection. The collection, which was presented in the form of a fashion show as part of this fashion month's Milan leg, meant homecoming for the Italian creative. "I staged the first two shows in Paris instead of Milan. On the one hand because I like the idea of being an outsider. On the other, since it made more sense from a commercial point of view. Paris fashion week attracts a certain type of buyer. A buyer that could easily identify with my product. I figured that, since the mood my brand transmits is currently missing from the Milan runways, I'd be an outsider here as well. It can't be just Prada and Fendi when you come here," Ragazzi says while looking at me from behind his tinted sunglasses at 11AM. That mood he is speaking of, comes alive on the runway in the form of hoodies, palm tree logos, Rastafari color palettes, casually tailored suits, oversized fits, plus the occasional cannabis motif here and there. More street, less snob. Contrasting the DNA of Italy's celebrated heritage brands. ''I think of reaching the young consumer. The kid that is now 20 years old, will stay loyal to my brand once he reaches his thirties. The heritage brand's client is typically in his forties or fifties - so they've made up their mind already." About those young ones keeping the Milan-based brand alive, currently the majority of Palm Angels shoppers comes from the US and Asia-Pacific region.
Before the skate aficionado made it to the European runways with his Palm Angels brand, he released a 2014 coffee table book about LA skate culture published by Rizzoli. Images were shot by Ragazzi himself. The foreword was written by none other than Pharrell Williams, who the Palm Angels founder now considers family. "Through the book I wanted people to reinterpret the world of skaters. I think initially the (skater) image was a bit grunge, a bit cheap. I tried to upgrade it using my photography and aesthetic, turning it into a form of art. My relationship with Pharrell started out as a professional one, before turning into a friendship. When I asked him to write the Palm Angels foreword it wasn't because he's Pharrell, but because he's a skater. He's one of my main supporters and last June when he came to Milan we did a little party together." Besides Pharrell, hip hop's new wave of artists is often spotted wearing Palm Angels looks, which the street-lux brand happily shares on the company Instagram. "Celebrity product placement is important in terms of image, but also in terms of creativity. My pieces are often designed with particular celebrities in mind. Nowadays, unfortunately, telling a story is more important than delivering a well-made product. People want to be part of something. Not just the product, but the world that it represents. There's many great designers out there, of which many don't tell a story with their product. That doesn't work right now. Product placement is a form of telling stories and making people part of that world.
His penchant for the American way of life comes from having lived it himself in New York and LA, prior to returning to his home base Italy. At present, the Palm Angels founder finds himself Stateside once or twice a month on average, and vacations in Florida. "To me, the scent of Los Angeles is marijuana — I smell it everywhere. I remember my first time visiting and thinking to myself: 'Jeez! The entire city is on this thing!' (laughs). Cannabis is an important part of skate culture. I didn't manage to transmit this in the book, so it's important for me to transmit it in the collections," the Creative Director says referring to the cannabis motifs which have become pretty much synonymous with Palm Angels ready-to-wear throughout the past seasons.
The year 2017 already looks promising for the Milan-based multi-tasker who recently presented his first womenswear pieces for fall/winter 2017. Up next, is the opening of the brand's first mono-brand store, which will be located in Hong Kong. "In the future I'd like to release a new book. But I'd need to find time to dedicate to it. The other one took me 2 to 3 years to make. I could do the next one about Cannabis."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Meet The Man Who Brings Cannabis And Palm Trees To The World Of High Fashion
Author: Declan Eytan
Contact: (800) 295-0893
Photo Credit: Palm Angels
Website: Forbes
I meet the latest cool kid to join Milan's fashion circle inside the city's Studio White space. The day of our interview, the Palm Angels Creative Director is in the process of shooting looks of the brand's fall/winter 2017 collection. The collection, which was presented in the form of a fashion show as part of this fashion month's Milan leg, meant homecoming for the Italian creative. "I staged the first two shows in Paris instead of Milan. On the one hand because I like the idea of being an outsider. On the other, since it made more sense from a commercial point of view. Paris fashion week attracts a certain type of buyer. A buyer that could easily identify with my product. I figured that, since the mood my brand transmits is currently missing from the Milan runways, I'd be an outsider here as well. It can't be just Prada and Fendi when you come here," Ragazzi says while looking at me from behind his tinted sunglasses at 11AM. That mood he is speaking of, comes alive on the runway in the form of hoodies, palm tree logos, Rastafari color palettes, casually tailored suits, oversized fits, plus the occasional cannabis motif here and there. More street, less snob. Contrasting the DNA of Italy's celebrated heritage brands. ''I think of reaching the young consumer. The kid that is now 20 years old, will stay loyal to my brand once he reaches his thirties. The heritage brand's client is typically in his forties or fifties - so they've made up their mind already." About those young ones keeping the Milan-based brand alive, currently the majority of Palm Angels shoppers comes from the US and Asia-Pacific region.
Before the skate aficionado made it to the European runways with his Palm Angels brand, he released a 2014 coffee table book about LA skate culture published by Rizzoli. Images were shot by Ragazzi himself. The foreword was written by none other than Pharrell Williams, who the Palm Angels founder now considers family. "Through the book I wanted people to reinterpret the world of skaters. I think initially the (skater) image was a bit grunge, a bit cheap. I tried to upgrade it using my photography and aesthetic, turning it into a form of art. My relationship with Pharrell started out as a professional one, before turning into a friendship. When I asked him to write the Palm Angels foreword it wasn't because he's Pharrell, but because he's a skater. He's one of my main supporters and last June when he came to Milan we did a little party together." Besides Pharrell, hip hop's new wave of artists is often spotted wearing Palm Angels looks, which the street-lux brand happily shares on the company Instagram. "Celebrity product placement is important in terms of image, but also in terms of creativity. My pieces are often designed with particular celebrities in mind. Nowadays, unfortunately, telling a story is more important than delivering a well-made product. People want to be part of something. Not just the product, but the world that it represents. There's many great designers out there, of which many don't tell a story with their product. That doesn't work right now. Product placement is a form of telling stories and making people part of that world.
His penchant for the American way of life comes from having lived it himself in New York and LA, prior to returning to his home base Italy. At present, the Palm Angels founder finds himself Stateside once or twice a month on average, and vacations in Florida. "To me, the scent of Los Angeles is marijuana — I smell it everywhere. I remember my first time visiting and thinking to myself: 'Jeez! The entire city is on this thing!' (laughs). Cannabis is an important part of skate culture. I didn't manage to transmit this in the book, so it's important for me to transmit it in the collections," the Creative Director says referring to the cannabis motifs which have become pretty much synonymous with Palm Angels ready-to-wear throughout the past seasons.
The year 2017 already looks promising for the Milan-based multi-tasker who recently presented his first womenswear pieces for fall/winter 2017. Up next, is the opening of the brand's first mono-brand store, which will be located in Hong Kong. "In the future I'd like to release a new book. But I'd need to find time to dedicate to it. The other one took me 2 to 3 years to make. I could do the next one about Cannabis."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Meet The Man Who Brings Cannabis And Palm Trees To The World Of High Fashion
Author: Declan Eytan
Contact: (800) 295-0893
Photo Credit: Palm Angels
Website: Forbes