Francesco Ragazzi named this collection Welcome To Miami, Offers an irresistible tip to put Will Smith in the intro: “Flow to this catwalk / Pound by pound wherever you go / Yo, ain’ There is no city like this in the world / If you ask me how do I know I have to defend the fifth.”
Palm Angels sells Ragazzi’s outsider worldwide, backs Made in Italy, with an aesthetic akin to California skate luxe, but as he observed on Zoom, he’s got a nod to Miami’s neon lights Glamour is equally obsessed. Fresh Prince. Miami itself, in turn, has embraced quite a bit of Italian design sensibilities over the years: mainly the Memphis Milanese sign, which continues to serve as a signpost for the Florida Meat Pot
years have passed.
Memphis has a lot of rude pastels and angular shapes, mostly in the background, and the series deliberately and overwhelmingly avoids Grand Theft A clear reference to the rider and Tony Montana. Instead, Ragazzi uses his photographer’s eye, through minimalist oversized cuts, meticulously rendered workwear knockoffs, and some inevitable (because in Miami…) travel store kitsch, in A series of character studies were carried out in the costumes. Shark-print trousers, Miami-inspired font-print knit dresses, pastel palm totes, terry hoodies, and some great thin-strap jelly shoes are all part of this elevated casual aesthetic. Meta Miami in particular is a work of vintage watermarked photos, cash, scared faces (to evade reverse searches) and the Stars and Stripes muscle boat at sea.
Ragazzi said: “As a passionate photographer – somewhere between committed amateur and semi-professional – Getty Images represents this passionate Essence. That archive, covering editorial, historical, retro, everything, it’s amazing. So I approached them to work with. We wanted to tell part of the story of Miami through their archival images, and for me, keeping those watermarks as a collection’s footprint was great Important because…”
“Because Getty’s photos keep getting stolen and posted on social media?”
“Exactly!”
The Palm Angels brand upside-down waistband of his khaki shorts clearly reflects the number Another nod, it’s a remix of the TikTok trend that transformed Dickies from a skateboard staple to a hip-skimming staple. Ragazzi’s latest creation is a gentle remix of Wearable Code that contains an ode to the alchemy of the Magic City.
