Milan Menswear Show Spring 2008 (Milano Moda Uomo)

Dates: Saturday, June 23, 2007 to Wednesday, June 27, 2007

DALLAS, Apr 23, 2007 / FW/ — Slated from Jun 23 – 27, 2007, the Milano Moda Uomo (Milan Menswear) Spring 2008 is poised to tackle Menswear 2.0 as it truly brings fashion into the 21st century.

Menswear 2.0 is geek speak. The same way that the internet now has Web 2.0, which means that it has evolved since it burst into the scene during the 1990s and literally changed the way we live and communicate, Menswear 2.0 also means taking it into an entirely new level.

Last March, during CTIA, a conference about wireless technology, Zegna, purveyor of men’s luxury clothing took part in ‘Fashion in Motion,’ a runway show that featured the most innovative and creative products and prototypes in the wireless arena.

Zegna, unveiled its ‘iJacket’, a luxury sport jacket that features an interior jacket pocket that stores the iPod. Here’s the clincher, the controls of the iPod is actually located on the sleeves, which actually operate as a five-button electronic iPod control pad. Functional? Yes! Stylish? Definitely. It’s Zegna!

To most fashionistas, this is just a novelty, something that the geeks of Silicon Valley just imagine. But, when you have a major player like Zegna experimenting with this new technology and combines its sartorial prowess, perhaps, this is not just a fad, but also the way of the future.

Way back in 1999, when wearable computers are just gleams in a programmer’s eyes, FashionWindows had predicted that when the 2000s roll around, technology will play a major role in fashion. The article ended with one line – ‘Versace 2.0, anyone?’ We might still be a few years off for that one, but we are certainly moving towards it.

And here’s another prediction, menswear will incorporate these high tech devices before womenswear for two reasons: (1) men in general are more interested in gizmos and gadgets; and (2) innovations in menswear are subtler and usually not always apparent to the naked eye.

Incorporating Eleksen’s ElekTex®, a smart fabric touchpad in the Zegna iJacket did not change the silhouette at all. And, if you don’t look closely, you will not even know it was there all.

Whether we will see ‘wearable computers’ in June still remains to be seen. One thing is sure though, there will be innovations from the fashion houses!

Click on links to read the review:
• Alexander McQueen


• Belstaff


• Biagiotti Uomo


• Burberry Prorsum


• Costume National


• Dries Van Noten


• DSquared²


• Emporio Armani


• Gaetano Navarra


• J.Lindeberg


• Jil Sander


• Les Hommes


• Prada


• Versace