Sylvio Giardina, the youngest representative of Rome’s haute couture scene, is once again set to display his innovative creations. For the 2024/2025 Autumn-Winter collection, Giardina will also reveal three archival dresses that have never been seen on a runway before. This year, the setting for his fashion show is the foyer of Rome’s MACRO contemporary art museum, a space designed by the French archistar Odile Decq. With a goth-rock aesthetic straight out of a graphic novel, Decq’s design provides a striking and modern contrast to Giardina’s sophisticated couture.
Having previously showcased his designs in the frescoed halls of the Farnese Palace and the ancient splendor of the Diocletian Spa in 2023, Giardina’s move to the futuristic spaces of the MACRO marks a significant shift. This leap from historical to contemporary settings highlights the diverse cultural influences that inspire his work. As an artist in Rome, Giardina navigates thousands of years of culture, a challenge he embraces despite his Parisian roots. Establishing his atelier in Rome, Giardina intertwines the city’s rich history with modern innovation.
The MACRO‘s unique design, which harmonizes a contemporary aesthetic within a pre-existing Art-Nouveau industrial building, mirrors Giardina’s approach to haute couture. His work fuses time-honored dressmaking traditions with new explorations, crafting pieces that are both timeless and avant-garde. The collection itself features sculpted dresses adorned with jewel-encrusted netting and soft drapes created using Thirties moulage techniques. Giardina’s designs evoke the baroque mastery of late-period sculptors, creating optical illusions that engage the viewer.
Giardina’s color palette relies on dramatic contrasts between black and white, softened by unexpected splashes of pink in hues of peach and fuchsia. A standout water green outfit reflects the collection’s aquatic inspiration, with pieces that appear to have emerged from a cultural broth brimming with life. Three-dimensional decorations, reminiscent of foam spray or beds of microscopic lily of the valley blossoms, are meticulously applied by hand, showcasing the expert craftsmanship that defines true haute couture.
The collection’s title, “1962,” alludes to the year of birth of Giardina’s older brother, a life coach who taught him to view the world with an unorthodox perspective. This off-center point of view permeates the collection, where nothing is as it seems. Giardina manipulates a variety of textile materials, from Mikado silk and gazar to organza and high-gloss fabrics, to create forms that challenge perceptions. His use of jewel-encrusted netting, stiffened with metal, Plexiglass, and crystal, and weightless chiffon, reflects the innovative spirit of his young, hand-picked team. Together, they combine Italy’s rich artistic heritage with contemporary edge, ensuring that Giardina’s haute couture remains both rooted in tradition and boldly forward-looking.
View the collection in the Gallery below:
