rozmy

For his debut at Pitti Uomo within the Pitti Italics frame, Marcelo Burlon confirms his status of cultural wanderer, producing both a collection and a performance that strives on fusion and cross-pollination. Mixing the composite iconography he is a master at – a personal collage of tribal and religious signs fused with snakes, numbers, geometries – with the speed and performance of motocross, Marcelo offers an heroic, almost superhuman, yet always slightly off-kilter take on contemporary style. Seen live for the first time on a posse of street-cast mod- els and various members of the County of Milan moniker, clothes will fully reveal the striking mix of prints and functional shapes.

Working around a protection/performance theme, Marcelo adds hi-impact pad- ded pieces such as racing trousers and tops to his repertoire, while turning prints into another catching layer of visual shielding. The collection gains strength in the high tech element: a dark fabric that glows intensely when hit by light is used for a poncho and a windbreaker. Marcelo’s staples, from the t-shirt to the bomber jacket, from skinny pants to trainers to backpacks, are given a power- ful makeover. Esoteric symbols are seen through a racing angle; words like fuego and muerte (erased) create potent slogans. The Ombre Alloversnakes print works as the new camouflage, basketball pieces are made in leather and the sweatshirt plus sweatpants combo builds the new metropolitan suit. 3d mo- tifs crate textural tension.