In the light of stunning creativity and innovation, GANNI’s Spring/Summer 2024 fashion show left the audience in awe with its bold designs and an essential message about the future we’re living in. One of the highlights that stole the limelight was the show opener: Paloma Elsesser. GANNI’s AI robot greeted Paloma and made the show’s guests speechless.
Cover image: courtesy of GANNI
GANNI’s AI collection
“Everything clicked into place when we met the incredible AI artist Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm, who has this thoughtful, philosophical take on AI,” explains GANNI’s creative director Ditte Reffstrup in a show release. “We worked with Cecilie to create a GANNI AI for the show. We wanted the spirit of the AI to be embodied by a physical form, something natural – my first thought was trees – they are such a symbol of hope and life. We’ve also been spending more time this season with Paloma Elsesser, who we are working with on a capsule that speaks to the joy of feeling confident in your own self and embracing self-expression. The more I get to know Paloma, the more she becomes the girl of my dreams. An authentic voice of change in an industry that is playing catch up. We are also debuting projects with New Balance and Ace & Tate on the runway. I have run out of ways to express how much collaboration means to me. Internally our team is unbelievably robust and premier league. And the wider GANNI community is… it’s everything.”
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The show concept, driven by artificial intelligence in collaboration with artist Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm, came naturally to Reffstrup; AI has been a topic at the kitchen table in the Reffstrup house for years. Before they started at GANNI together, Ditte’s husband Nicolaj ran a tech business that invented a chat robot. AI has always intrigued her, and she’s never been afraid of it. “I always feel more positive when actively engaging with something,” she adds. It was a logical step to create an AI that holds a mirror to GANNI’s community. Visitors could pose questions to the runway’s trees at the show venue. The gentle AI bot GANNI created in collaboration with Celcilie answered politely.
Elevated looks
This must be GANNI’s most elevated collection to date. “I wanted us to push ourselves this season. To see if we could create the most elevated GANNI looks we’ve ever done,” explains Ditte. It led to granny chic ensembles, leather tenues, and sophisticated looks. As always, this was done with sustainability on top of mind. For example, a tailored black leather-like dress with white contrast stitching is made from Oleatex, a fabric produced using waste streams from olive oil production. Furthermore, the sequins adorned on a knitted dress were created using a new fabric innovation called Algreen, which turns seaweed and agricultural waste into plastic-free, recyclable sequins. Both innovations are part of GANNI’s Fabrics of The Future program.
When it comes to fit, GANNI chose its own path. No oversized shoulders, but fitted tailoring played a more significant role instead. The cut lines were inspired by origami patterns, creating a playful twist on classic tailoring.
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Also, read Best street style from Copenhagen Fashion Week spring/summer 2024.
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Paloma Elsesser for GANNI
GANNI’s guests were speechless when Paloma Elsesser entered the conversation, opening the brand’s show. But that’s not all: Paloma and GANNI are teaming up to design a size-inclusive collection that celebrates Paloma’s distinctive sense of style and transformative perspective in the industry. “Paloma is a dream girl. Her style is unmatched, inspiring the industry and women worldwide,” says Ditte on working with Paloma. It wasn’t the first time Paloma walked GANNI’s show; in February 2020, she made her debut. “Paloma Elsesser returns to the GANNI runway this season, debuting the first design from the collaboration: a two-piece set inspired by textured surfaces and the tactility of trees, taking form in a transparent, hooded dress silhouette adorned with draping on the hip and styled with matching pants. The silhouette underlines the sensuality of dresses, a core category for the brand, which gained international acclaim with its Scandi 2.0 way of dressing,” GANNI’s team explained, and more will follow soon. In the mean time, discover a selection of GANNI’s spring/summer 2024 looks below.
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