To convey novelty, it takes risk. For SS26, the designer revealed a tenuous grasp on what his clientele shops for—pointing to a new maturity and understanding.
FLORENCE, TUSCANY — Italian-born Niccolò Pasqualetti isn’t one for all-out practicality, even of the subtle variety—you’ll hardly find zippers or hoodies on his clothes.
Not even a hem escapes his watchful eye: the designer, a Central Saint Martins graduate, has a near-fixation with unbroken trims. He’s similarly neutral about colour. Black, white, and earthy; long, breezy, and often layered—that’s the Pasqualetti philosophy.
“I like to draw from the past, not out of nostalgia, but as a way to layer and build new meanings. I look at military uniforms, classic workwear, and traditional tailoring to try to find something that can contain all those contradictory purposes and attitudes,” he tells GLASS.
His wide, floor-length bottoms sit high on the waist and are paired with equally fuss-free toppers. For Spring, the designer streamlined volumes and offered a sinuous take on wardrobe classics—all while challenging design archetypes and embracing a sense of ease and breeziness.
“I think that’s why I like to work with pieces that are difficult to categorise: capes that behave like shirts, trousers that split and curve around the leg, suiting softened by gathering or asymmetry,” he adds.
“I try to let the materials guide the direction—some are so beautiful you have to leave them on their own, while others benefit from being combined in a kind of collage. The jewellery this season is modular, a repetition of elements—I don’t consider it decoration, but part of a whole.
“With menswear, you typically have to respect certain codes of dress, but there’s an art in how to break the rules. Every day is a negotiation between formality and ease, between individuality and belonging, between strength and vulnerability. I want my clothes to reflect that reality, and allow someone to be many different people at once.”
by Chidozie Obasi