Aristotle long ago posited that “there is no great genius without some touch of madness”. When Moncler ’s Remo Ruffini first revealed his Genius format in 2018, there were some in fashion who thought he was touched by madness too: for why else shutter two highly successful fashion show formats in favour of an untested runway-free jamboree of collaboration? It turns out that Ruffini’s instinct to reinvent his outerwear house was more powerfully rational than any expert observer could possibly have predicted. Genius expanded a year later, then in 2021 launched a digital version of the platform, all the while attracting increasing amounts of eyeballs – and generating ever more eye-widening amounts of revenue.
Now, following a pause since its most recent incarnation, Genius is back. Later this month, Moncler will land in Shanghai on the final night of its fashion week in order to unveil The City of Genius, an event that the house is pitching as “a metropolis of immersive experience that will act as a global epicentre of creativity”. As with past instalments of Moncler’s mega-activations, this chapter of Genius will see multiple installations simultaneously showcase the collections from a diverse group of cultural protagonists, by no means all of them rooted in fashion design.
According to a release from the house, The City of Genius will be housed across a 30,000 square-metre space. So, who are those protagonists? The first Genius newcomer is Donald Glover, who wi.