MILAN — Gearing up to present the latest Moncler Genius iteration in Shanghai, chairman and chief executive officer Remo Ruffini spoke to WWD about the decision to hold the event in the Chinese city.
Dubbing Shanghai as “the City of Genius,” the luxury brand unveiled its latest roster of creative talents cocreating the Moncler Genius collection. They include some new names and some friends of the house: Frgmt by Hiroshi Fujiwara; Gilga Farm by Donald Glover, the American actor, musician, writer, director, and producer; Chinese multidisciplinary artist LuLu Li; Mercedes-Benz by Nigo, the creative director of Kenzo and Human Made; Palm Angels, created and designed by Francesco Ragazzi; A$AP Rocky; Willow Smith; Rick Owens; Jil Sander, designed by Luke and Lucie Meier, and Edward Enninful, editorial adviser at British Vogue and global creative and cultural adviser of Vogue.
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The brainchild of Ruffini, Moncler Genius was introduced in 2018 and has been designed over the years by the likes of Pierpaolo Piccioli, Simone Rocha, Jonathan Anderson and Craig Green, to name a few.
In addition to its signature line and Genius, Moncler includes the Grenoble collections. In the first half of the year, Moncler’s sales in Asia (which includes APAC, Japan and South Korea) amounted to 513 million euros, up 12 percent, and representing 49.3 percent of the total. In the second quarter, revenues in the region grew by 6 percent at constant exchange rates, driven by strong growth registered in Japan, supported mostly by tourists, as well as by a positive performance in mainland China. Commenting at the time on the performance, management expressed confidence in the additional potential of China.
Here, Ruffini reveals that he has even bigger plans for Moncler Genius and insists that the designers who cocreate it are the real geniuses.
WWD: Why did you choose Shanghai for the event? Is it significant that it takes place as eyes are on the slowdown of China’s growth?
Remo Ruffini: In life, I believe in giving back to those that have granted you a lot. From the very first store, the Chinese immediately accepted us and rewarded us. I thought it would take years, but they were super fast, and as far back as 2009, they understood our strategy and vision. I am very happy, they are a wonderful people with a very strong energy and innovative — like Moncler.