The brand’s upcycling heritage felt closer than ever this season… ‘in theory’ .

The cool kids of Simon Cracker defied the hot June weather and made their way to Milan Fashion Week - almost in slow motion - walking the concrete floors of an empty industry warehouse. There we found ourselves, not unexpectedly, in a crowd of people all dressed in upcycled chequered clothes styled randomly, Simon Cracker’s most iconic pattern.

“‘One day I will go to live in theory, because it’s in theory that everything goes well’: this phrase is where it all started. ”

For spring/summer 2024, the SIMON CRACKER’s masterminds, Simone Botte and Filippo Biraghi went in theory, where they are a major successfully brand, and they found many interesting things: a book that in theory is an encyclopedia, but in reality it cannot be read, a doll that in theory was supposed to be Barbie’s antagonist, but in reality it scared children, a village that in theory is cute and happy, but in reality is a prison where everyone becomes a number, a music that in theory was evil but in reality united people of every kind.

The collection is a paradox, a happy chaos with a creepy subtext, a patchwork of fabrics that we kept in our stockroom because they were ‘too ugly’, where acid house t-shirts with a redesigned smile go and clash with the stripes and the ‘bon ton’ trench coats of ’The prisoner’ village (the first ‘mindfuck’ TV series back in the 60’s), the cyanotype ‘Codex Seraphinianus’ inspired prints fight with the creepy faces of Blythe dolls and Lalaloopsies hang from messy bags.

In their upcycling and one of a kind garments process, appears a small section of ‘merch’ garments: which in theory should be less ’scary’ and more commercial. SIMON CRACKER has been front runners for upcycled fabrics since long before it was considered fashion and the spring/summer 24 collection was no exception. Staying true to their design ethos, all items seen on the runway were upcycled. Despite working with fabrics given to them rather than creating their own, Simon Cracker manages to have a clear aesthetic. At least ‘’in theory’’.

‘’Our travel companions on the train that took us in theory have been precious: Iris Indrigo and Tommaso Pila, two young and talented fashion students that created one look each, Francesca Mitolo of Tee-share, who provided us with a bunch of t-shirts ready to be customized, Giovanni Mareschi from Laboratorio Riciclo Pelle who created three exclusive pieces for the collection, Enrica Ramill of Da Quy for the shoes, Stellina Fabbri and Michela Crippa who allowed us to grab their bijoux deadstock and Susi Foschi, undefeatable researcher of raw materials to be crackerized.’’

In theory all the looks sequence for the show has been done totally random and the soundtrack was a mix of Simone and Filippo teenage years.

We lived shortly in a space that’s between ‘a-forever-child’ reality and dreaming. What does ‘IN THEORY’ mean for you?

‘In theory’ is the place where we would all love to go and live, because it’s in theory that everything goes well. We are questioning the whole issue of ‘perception=reality’ that today is such a major topic. The perception of Simon Cracker, given our presence on social media and press is very high, but in reality we are still struggling on a daily basis to keep our identity and values intact. The issues we talk about in practice (inclusivity, sustainability, seasonless ecc.) are apparently only conversation topics, because when it comes to business we are still so far away from a concrete change.

Are you interested in creating a whole experience around your clothes with the Spring/Summer 2024 collection? Why ‘IN THEORY’ is so special and how come this name?

The concept was born after a postcard we found in Paris, stating what’s written in the first answer. We strongly believe that storytelling and creating an ‘environment’ are mandatory when you create a collection: without a story to tell, you’re left with just a bunch of clothes. We gave to this very abstract ‘in theory’ concept a look, made of a lot of references, from the ‘Codex Seraphinianus’ to ‘Blythe’ dolls, from the tv series ’The Prisoner’ to static electricity, from Acid House music to chaotic layering.

How did fashion challenges come into play in your scenario that reflects the real faces of this industry?

The challenges are continuous, we are constantly trying to find a balance between being kind punks and being appealing to a wider audience and not just to the faithful and loyal crew around us. The fashion business is in shambles today and whoever says the contrary is lying. Change can only come from knowledge, and we live in an age where none is interested in ‘knowing’. In the 19th century Oscar Wilde said ‘We live in an age where everybody knows the price of everything and the value of nothing’, we wold love to be an agent of change.

Is ‘IN THEORY’ the idea of transformation into something that you would like to perceive more in fashion? Is that how you hope your fashion will be consumed: as special pieces that transform the wearer?

‘In theory’ is of course a provocation, with the winter collection it was rage, this time is more subtle. We don’t want to overshadow customers with our garments, we would love to make them thinking about a set of values, incorporating our vision with their own personality. When asked about our ideal target, we point out that we would love to have like-minded people, not related to money, gender, age or whatever

There are always elements of fantasy in your collections. Does your own life inspire you as much as the figurative fashion life?

Our life, our experiences, our feelings are the foundation of Simon Cracker. Realness for us is a major topic and we do not get designers that take inspiration from things that are too far away from themselves. It is a matter of talking about things that you know and develop them, research more and share.

Do you feel like despite challenges faced in your design process and brand growth, you’ve also become closer to your customers somehow?

As we said, we have a loyal fan-base of faithful clients, our hope is to widen up our this ‘family’ but with a product like ours a little bit of effort and ‘bravery’ is necessary to embrace Simon Cracker. We hope that we will really be able to find more people sharing our set of values and our not-stereotyped vision.

words by MIRA WANDERLUST

@mirawanderlust

photography by DONALD GJOKA

@donaldgjoka