MILAN – Moncler Genius is planning what it calls a “monumental” event in London on February 20.

Admittedly, the location is quite grand – the Olympia London, a 19th-century exhibition center and event space in West Kensington.

“In 2023, we are entering a new phase for Moncler Genius,” said Chief Executive Officer Remo Ruffini. “While our commitment to creativity and innovative thinking does not change, we are moving from a collaborative model to a co-creation platform, allowing us to interact, learn, think and create something that did not necessarily exist before. We will tap into new communities, creators and disruptors from the worlds of art, design, entertainment, sports, fashion and culture. I’m always excited to find new ways to not only create, but to invite new worlds to experience the brand.

Titled “The Art of Genius 2023,” the live show will feature lineup that includes house friends such as Alicia Keys; Pharrel Williams; Palm Angels and Frgmt, as well as Mercedes-Benz; Adidas Originals; Salehe Bembury and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Bembury has designed shoes for Yeezy, Crocs, Versace and more. In September 2021, Keys was asked to host the Moncler Mondogenius presentation in Milan.

The Moncler + Rick Owens collection will also be there.

The event “sets the tone for a year of redefining Genius”, and the concept behind its new iteration is that “the new phase of co-creation focused on human creative skills and imagination” will “create something that each brand could not achieve on their own,” the company said.

The multi-format event will feature immersive experiences and performances to showcase creativity, “beauty and emotional power”.

The community will be able to participate in “The Art of Genius” with tickets available through registration on moncler.com. The event will also be broadcast live.

This is the first time that Moncler Genius will be presented in London, where fashion week will take place from February 17 to 23.

Over the years, Ruffini spurred Moncler’s growth by forming close relationships with designers ranging from Nicolas Ghesquière to Junya Watanabe, Giambattista Valli, who designed Moncler Gamme Rouge, and Thom Browne, who was in charge of the Moncler line. Blue range for men. After 10 years of success with the last two projects, Ruffini turned the company’s business model and strategy on its head, launching Moncler Genius in 2018, a series of drops and capsules with designers such as Richard Quinn and Matthew Williams of 1017 Alyx 9SM; Pierpaolo Piccioli; Simone Rocha; Craig Green; Fragment Hiroshi Fujiwara; Palm Angels’ Francesco Ragazzi and Jonathan Anderson, plus Rick Owens with a partnership in a different vein than other Genius partners.

The company has held one Genius event a year since 2018, usually in February, inviting designers to interpret the brand’s iconic puffer jackets with their own unique sensibility.

In 2021, the brand added a new layer to the experience by presenting its collections in September through a digital activation in five cities – New York, Milan, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul – and through the vision of 11 designers, in a single show hosted by Keys, winner of 15 Grammy Awards.

At Moncler’s Capital Markets Day last May, Ruffini said, “Moncler Genius has become a hub of creativity, freedom and global communication. I firmly believe in the Moncler Genius model and its “sustainable” development. However, he pointed out that from this point on, the brand would also seek to involve personalities or brands from “art, music, film, sport and much more…the way you combine makes a brand unique”.

Ruffini said at the time that Moncler Genius represented between 5 and 10% of total sales.

In the nine months to September 30, sales for the Moncler Group, which also includes Stone Island, exceeded the benchmark of 1.55 billion euros, compared to 1.17 billion euros for the same period of 2021. The Moncler brand recorded a 21% increase in revenue. in nine months, reaching 1.25 billion euros.