We sat down with the Italian clothing line, NEMEN, this week for our Wild Ingenuity™ series. Check out how they weave Nature/Culture/Future™ into the fabric of their company’s mission and vision.
NATURE
Tell us a bit about yourself, your company, and how your products are either inspired by or bring people closer to nature. How is nature woven into your product strategy?
We’re NEMEN®, an Italian design company based in Milan since 2012. We aim to take the wealth of knowledge that is Italy’s fashion production legacy and apply them in modern contexts to break new grounds. Creating garments that push the limits of textile development, craft, and design.
Nature or whatever real-world application you use our garments in, is often the ultimate litmus test for what we do. Form and function only really make sense when there’s an application for them, which nature will often provide.
CULTURE
Where do you, and/or members of your team, go for inspiration either online or in person? What out there in current culture is creating the best or most interesting vibes to motivate you?
Life itself is always the biggest source of inspiration really and that can come from all manner of creative outputs – Travel, Music, Art, and people. Our archive is also an endless source of inspiration or the look and feel of a new textile sample can spark an idea. Our inspiration is all very organic as that’s what gives the best results.
FUTURE
What trends are you seeing and tracking right now that are helping you and your company plan for the future? What traits are you banking on your future audience having that are informing your decision making now?
We don’t pay much attention to trends really, but at the moment it is impossible to not be affected by the pandemic circulating the globe. The fashion industry has many inherent flaws perpetuated by its traditions mostly, so the current situation is an opportune moment to re-evaluate that system and update it. That, as well as some exciting collaborations, is what’s keeping us busy at the moment and we’re looking forward to lifting the veil on those projects in the coming months.
Check out NEMEN’s Spring/Summer 2020 lookbook on their website/
