By Lucas Pantoja

With his collection titled Be Light designer Tiziano Guardini presents a look which is both couture-like and sporty; all the while utilizing intricate production methods with a keen focus on sustainability. Born under the intention of being a narration rather than a collection, Guardini notes the inspiration is of the “Unbreakable bond between nature and mankind.”, and tells the story of a woman’s journey back to her childhood lake house surrounded by nature.

While the conceptual aspect of the collection may be a tad surreal, the clothes certainly are not. On display are works of relaxed tailoring, lace dresses, and sporty outerwear pieces complimented by nautical-esc turtlenecks. Overall, there’s something rather East-coast American-prep about the collection. From the color palette which is dominated by red and navy, the patterns of stars and plaid, to even that touch of yellow seen as a stripe across the down jacket. It evokes a brand of that sport-prep look one might find in an old POLO catalog from the 90’s — still, surely more sartorial and adventurous.

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Adding an edge to the collection, are the accessories. Jeweled spirit-animals which serve as unique headpieces, bedazzled with swarovskis and made-up-of upcycled crystals stun atop the looks. Blinged-out gargoyle shaped jewelry courtesy of designer Gianni De Benedittis also shine, as fine additions to the hands and wrists.

Not short of efforts in sustainable fashion or advancements in production, Tiziano Guardini presents various and elaborate methods of sustainable production in this collection. The coated fabrics are made out of waste coming from Italian wine producers and vegan oils born from local produce and recycled polyester — all done in collaboration with local Milanese company Vegea. Jacquard and checkered fabrics which come from Lanficio Cerruti are made into garments and put together with Tex Moda recycled materials. Nylon puffer jackets are produced of recycled waste and old fisher nets thanks to ECONYL di Aquafil. While coats and suits are done by the local traditions of the artisan companies of the Veneto Region of Manufacturers and renowned weaver Luigi Bevilacqua. All of the fabrics come donated by the maisons that worked on the collection. Serving as a nice cherry-on-top to their preciousness, each piece is then numbered and accompanied by a note explaining the process of its creation and the name of the artisan who created it.

Considering all of the dreaming and treatments which goes into the garments presented by Tiziano Guardini, the aesthetic wearability of them holds up. The fans of artisanal works with a story behind them, might find themselves in the collection while on holiday at their own lake house, similar to the protagonist of Guardini’s narrative. Others, could be seen sporting the lax sartorial endeavors fresh out of a meeting, on their way to the stands of a grand slam.

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More articles by Lucas Pantoja.

I’m just a guy from Virginia who enjoys writing about clothes. Currently studying creative direction at The Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Italy.