Artisanal Intelligence Key to Craftmanship
Craftsmanship and the value of artisans’ skills have always been at the heart of Tod’s and now more than ever. At the presentation of the brand’s first menswear collection by creative director Matteo Tamburini, this was again a key message. Cue the installation at the PAC museum in Milan, where the spotlight was on the hands of Tod’s artisans, stitching and sewing the brand’s products — literally as their bodies were hidden as if they were sort of puppeteers.
Diego Della Valle, chairman and chief executive officer of the Tod’s Group, said it was “important to uphold artisanal intelligence, keeping under control artificial intelligence as it is now developing rapidly and powerfully.” The executive admitted artificial intelligence brings benefits but at the same time raises concerns about its use, “also because we don’t know enough about it.”
Maintaining “individuals and artisanal intelligence at the center, with its traditions and values, will contribute to keep artificial intelligence in check. Our Italian craftsmanship and supply chain can be an example of the combination of tradition and the new speed of artificial intelligence.”
Craftsmanship and the development of the best materials were indeed a focus of the collection, as models at the contemporary art museum posed in bombers and shirt jackets made in pashmy, the softest and lightest leathers that have a silky touch reminiscent of pashmina. The leather was also used for the new Di Bag sack and the Tod’s T-Riviera shoes.
“The collection is more about subtraction rather than addition, highlighting the very elevated, timeless and relaxed materials,” Tamburini said. The designer reworked linen with an innovative treatment on formal-inspired blazers and overshirts. He also lined the fabric with a membrane that was heat-sealed on a field jacket. Aligned with the trends in Milan, the designs were relaxed, as seen in the drawstring pants and light knits.
The brand’s signature gommino pebble-soled pumps were enriched with a new sabot version in natural colors.
Overall the lineup left little doubt artisanal intelligence still rules at Tod’s.
