Behind The Scenes: Our SS24 Collection

During Milano Fashion Week in June, we presented our SS24 collection to press and international fashion buyers in the palatial garden of the Palazzo Castiglioni, which is a sterling example of an art nouveau palace designed by Giuseppe Sommaruga. It was constructed between 1901 and 1904 for the prominent Castiglioni family and is situated on Corso Venezia, which is one of Milan's most prestigious streets. Looking back, we think it played a phenomenal role as a counterpart and background to our SS24 unveiling drinks.

As with previous seasons, the SS24 collection continues the exploration of mid-century Americana fashion, with particular emphasis on 1960s fishing and hunting apparel. Clothing designed for such rural endeavours is an endless source of inspiration for us at Valstar; they’re humble garments made to benefit and aid the wearer in his pursuit. Furthermore, the parallels of their very nature are, perhaps, more relevant to today’s world than they were back then, with utility clothing being a necessity in the current climate.

For instance, much of the collection includes an array of versatile casual jackets, many of which feature varying functional pocket styles – from patched to inverted pleats and more – that have been reinforced with metal rivets and twin-needle stitching to mimic hunting apparel. The benefits of this make the garments look and feel considerably more alluring, as well as being durable and long-lasting.

As with each and every Valstar collection, naturally soft suede naturally played a central role. Otherwise known as lamb suede, soft suede has the right balance of durability and fineness, which makes it the perfect option for contemporary outerwear. We’ve used it to craft many of our classic styles, such as the Bomber, Overshirt and Coach jackets, all of which are unlined for lightness and comfort. Of course, the Valstarino is crafted from goat suede which is several degrees softer.

Beyond suede, we worked with several specialist mills to produce fabrics that mimic hunting apparel, such as a heavy-duty cotton canvas from the Brisbane Moss in England, including a camouflage option. Meanwhile, we also employed the skills from technical mills such as Olmetex in Italy to produce waxed cotton fabrics, which are proficient in keeping you dry in wet conditions, to craft our signature Valstarino jacket plus several blousons of varying styles. These are hard-wearing fabrics with a rich heritage and history of performing in the great outdoors. There’s also a technical wool fabric that is very light and stretches both in warp and weft, which ensures all-day comfort and performance.

As you’ll notice, the colour palette this season is much more muted than our previous collections – there are plenty of easy-to-wear browns and neutral tones, plus a small handful of pastels that are pleasing to the eye and inject a touch of freshness into the collection. The reason is that we wished to create a quieter, more subtle collection for SS24 that allows the designs and materials to stand out.

For now, we hope you enjoy looking through the collection and look forward to its launch early next year.