CLOSE THE LOOP x MILAN FASHION WEEK

REFASHION IS ART, WASTE IS OUR CANVAS

Close The Loop is an event by Must Had, made of enriching conversations, open-minded discovery, inspiring art.

Close the Loop, our very first physical event held at La Fabbrica del Vapore, on Saturday Feb. 26th 2022, in the middle of the Milan Fashion Week Women’s Fall/Winter 2022/2023, not only gave us the opportunity to celebrate the first anniversary of Must Had, but also to meet and discuss with special individuals about the art of circular fashion, craftsmanship and uniqueness.

Set in a singular location and enveloped in an artistic atmosphere where our refashion brands’ creations are introduced to our guests in the form of installations, Close the Loop shed light on the incredible journey of Must Had over the last year and create a hub for its community to gather, talk and engage.

A strong commitment to readapt the fashion industry and live more responsibly our daily routine was the bond that connected all of us there present at Close the Loop, be us part of the team, artisans, designers or passers-by driven by curiosity.

"Close the Loop underscores the crucial importance of physical events: they let people perceive the charm and versatility of the upcycling world, as well as experience first-hand the quality of Must Had’s creations" Matteo Aghemo.

Upholding our motto “everything deserves a second chance”, Close the Loop was a real ​​vernissage full of energy, full of encounters, full of enriching conversations about artistry: those fresh conversations that genuinely keep our minds open to innovation and creativity, those fresh conversations between individuals who met up for the very first time but, sharing the same values and taking up the same cause, spontaneously relate one another.

Inspired by the iconic artworks of Laboratorio Luparia, Skinsbelts, Nasco Unico, Silent People, Masha with Maria, Ritagli di G, Francesca Marchisio, whose craftsmanship and traditions narrated their own personal stories, this exhibition made all of us fully realize that research, rescue, revalue, are more than a simple act of respect towards our society: 

THEY BECAME THE STEPPING STONES TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF A GARMENT AND SO, THE LIFE OF OUR PLANET.

Close the Loop was a full immersion of re-fashion, networking and sustainability, where every single aspect of the space was edited, on purpose, to educate the community about the philosophy of upcycling: starting from iconic creations of Must Had's emerging brands, passing through refreshment by Biova Beer, upcycled beer made from bread waste, ending with Nazena, innovative startup which produces packaging and accessories such as hangers and panels by recycling textile scraps and used clothing. Everything around us provided precious examples of regenerated products and reminded us of upcycling; everything kept our eyes wide open and gave tangible demonstration of how we are supposed to rethink our relationship with what we own and already exist, positively contributing to the Planet and making conscious choices - so that the issue of waste might be turned into an opportunity to glow.

"We intentionally designed the location of Close the Loop in the form of a real exhibition: we aimed to place a value on the dialogue between waste and product, rightfully the very origin of our platform. That’s the only way for us to appropriately explain its meaning" Eugenio Riganti

We talked about curiosity and discovery; we talked about the sense of community; we talked about commitment; we talked about education: we’ll draw our conclusions talking about passion. In fact, the performances of Culo Camicia Operamia and Emina, they all illuminated, each in their own way, the location with patient passion for their art and traditions.

Respectively, Culo Camicia transforms old shirts into boxers; Operamia revives denim and leather with hand-painted designs; Emina applies botanical dyeing, batik and shibori techniques on pre-owned garments.

THE UPCYCLING LIVE SESSIONS WERE A HIGH QUALITY MOMENT - THAT LASTED NO STOP FOR THE ENTIRE VERNISSAGE - OF SHARED PARTICIPATION, SMALL TALK AND LEARNING.

 After quickly getting to know each other, during the performances our artisans and our visitors became characters of the same play in which the former were completely focused on the expression of the self and on the creation of the artworks, while the latter were fully absorbed and amazed by the magic in the making, gradually and slowly discovering the appearance of their new-self. A moment fixed in time, because we could simultaneously see the past, the old unused garments the visitor brought, the present, the creative process, and the future, the customized regenerated product. An intimate moment of unexpected empathy, in which the artisan was entrusted with the care of the garment to reborn as a new object, filtered through their own pov. A moment that changed both the artisan's and visitor’s life, because, after the creative process of the performance, none of them was the same.

"Close the Loop was the opportunity to officially introduce ourselves: to do that, we selected one of the most iconic events of the city… the Milano Fashion Week. We can proudly say that we have presented an innovative format which we are sure has aroused people’s curiosity" Arianna Luparia.

Culo Camicia: their performance consisted in turning old shirts into cheerful boxers.

Emina: Giulia Perin worked on botanical dyeing, batik and shibori techniques applied on old white blouses