Moncler Genius signs up JW Anderson, Rimowa and electric bike co

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 3, 2020

Jonathan Anderson’s label, JW Anderson, is the latest big name to be added to the list of Moncler Genius designers and is joining the programme for its 2020 drops, along with another newcomer, Rimowa, and an unexpected addition from outside of the fashion field. 

Anderson’s capsule collection is likely to create a buzz when it launches with the Irish designer being one of the most aspirational and inspirational names working in luxury fashion at present, both through his eponymous label that's part-owned by LVMH and his work for LVMH’s Loewe. Moncler talked about linking with him for “his arrestingly clever vision of gender-defying fashion”.

The collection will be unveiled during Milan Fashion Week on February 19, following the same pattern as in 2019, along with those from Veronica Leoni and Sergio Zambon for 2 Moncler 1952, Sandro Mandrino for 3 Moncler Grenoble, plus Craig Green, 1017 Alyx 9SM, Fragment Hiroshi Fujiwara, Richard Quinn, Simone Rocha and Poldo Dog Couture.

As mentioned, LVMH’s luxury luggage brand Rimowa will also be part of this year’s line-up. Moncler said that this year, it “enters a new phase and goes beyond the product, embracing the world of experience while empowering personal communication and bringing connections and emotions from the digital domain to real life”.

Rimowa will therefore “unveil a bold new travel concept," called Reflection, showcasing "novel innovations in technology, connectivity and communication in the digital age. The idioms of social media are brought to a physical dimension giving people the opportunity to communicate and connect with the world”.

That should provide a few surprises, but so should a more unexpected name, Copenhagen-based Mate.Bike, an electric bike company. 

The company said of its inclusion that “the potential areas of experience for Moncler Genius know no limits.The vision is to reinterpret the ordinary through the extraordinary and to inspire emotions in both the city, and the mountain, where Moncler was originally born. With this belief, Moncler Genius 2020 extends its pioneering spirit as an innovator of the outdoors. Mate.Bike offers a unique take on progressive travel with an electrical bike created for the extreme terrain of the mountain and the snow, testing the boundaries of conventional commuting and personal expression”.

The company clearly sees the need to continue evolving the now-three-year-old Genius project in order to stand out from the crowd as more brands adopt similar concepts.

The project has been running since 2018 and originally saw Moncler completely reinventing its approach to its highest-end collections. That reinvention was hailed by company boss Remo Ruffini as a success due both to its brand-building impact and to the sales boost it has delivered to the business.

The company has reported a regular a succession of ever-stronger results and this has resulted in rumours that it could be an acquisition target on the part of luxury giant Kering. 

However in December, responding to a Bloomberg report that the two companies had held talks on the subject, Ruffini said they sometimes talked in the usual course of their businesses but no change of ownership was planned.