MASSIMO ALBA x SNOB MILANO collab to launch at Silmo
- By Editorial Team
The Massimo Alba x SNOB Milano collaboration will make its debut in Paris at SILMO. The collaboration stems from a natural affinity between the two brands and, in particular, between their respective designers: Tommaso Bossetti, founder and creative force behind SNOB Milano, and Massimo Alba, the Milanese designer known for his approach to fashion, built around emotional comfort, quality, material treatments and a relaxed elegance far removed from ostentation. Developed together, the project takes as its starting point the eyewear worn by the designer himself – a frame inspired by the late 1970s, reinterpreted through SNOB Milano’s technologies and distinctive design codes, most notably its signature magnetic sun clip-on developed in collaboration with ZEISS Sunlens.
What sets this model apart is the use of acetate, a material rarely seen in SNOB Milano eyewear. The choice is deliberate: acetate gives the frame a warmer appearance and greater visual substance, while also opening up different possibilities in terms of construction and finishing, such as bonding at the temple tip and the three-dimensional effect of the engravings on the inside of the temples. “This collaboration provided the ideal opportunity for us to take our product to a higher level, both in terms of value and positioning”, says Bossetti. The collaboration is expressed through subtle details, never ostentatious: Massimo Alba’s four-leaf clover logo appears on one temple, in dialogue with the SNOB Milano logo on the opposite side. The bridge features a small horizontal geometric aperture, an element destined to become a distinctive signature of the entire collection.
The collaboration grew out of a strong mutual understanding and forms part of SNOB Milano’s ongoing dialogue with Milanese creative names that share the brand’s sensibility and vision. “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to collaborate with a brand that we have always found deeply inspiring for its distinctive aesthetic and authenticity. We are equally happy to have found in Massimo someone with a genuine passion for the product and for what he does; someone who pays close attention to details and materials, who thinks deeply about and explores ways of changing how a product is perceived by focusing on the emotional comfort of the person wearing it, and who finds compromise difficult. Every meeting with Massimo has been like a university lecture. I remain fascinated by the way he sees the world – it is almost as though he were caressing it with the utmost respect – and this has given me a profound sense of responsibility: not to betray his vision. This collaboration marks a new high in terms of quality for SNOB Milano”, says Tommaso Bossetti.
Describing the collection, Massimo Alba expresses his vision in these words: “I see you, I see myself. Recognising ourselves means feeling at ease with the tones of the clothes we wear, in harmony with the colour of the lenses, the finish and the shape of the frame. It means welcoming ourselves through a friendly gaze, seeing ourselves as we feel: in balance.” The project will be further elevated by the distinctive vision of multimedia artist Paolo Ventura, who will interpret this creative collaboration as it makes its debut at SILMO.
