The topography of Rome enables one to pick out incomparable vantage points to survey its beauty and romance. Living in Rome since 2019, it is expressly what Brioni’s Design Director Norbert Stumpfl has utilized and absorbed – to inspire the set he staged for the house’s A/W 22 presentation in a dilapidated Milanese palazzo.
Murmurations of starlings, water rippling softly from fountains and human shadows passing iconic Roman landmarks were early clues of Stumpfl’s exploration of ethereal lightness. In fact, the Austrian-born designer specifically turned to Brueghel the Elder’s painting at Rome’s Galleria Doria Pamphilj, The Allegory of Air as the main source of inspiration. On why he chose the painting he said: “We were inspired by the dynamism and lightness Breughel expressed as he worked to capture the image of air - something that is both intangible-yet-essential.” And it is the notion of dynamism that shines throughout the collection with the designs encompassing a shared territory between formal and casual.