Jaguar and Baracuta: the Britishness is taking over Milan

During the last European fashion weeks, there was a return to the classics of menswear. The luxury world has returned to its origins, rereading them in the light of the new needs that animate contemporary society. The essentiality and sophistication of the forms are back on the scene – the same essentiality and sophistication that underpins the aesthetics of two of the most iconic British heritage brands, Jaguar and Baracuta. The simple and almost minimalistic cut of the G9 Harrington Jacket by Baracuta and the refined silhouette of Jaguar, with the value of its finishes, are some of the greatest expressions of a new type of luxury that contrasts with the noise and the calculated indiscipline of streetwear that dominated the end of the past decade. During the event "Life is a Canvas... Fill it with Colours" two different but equally expressive aspects of that British aesthetic that has gone into the history of pop culture will coincide. The event will be held on Sunday, February 23 from 16 to twenty-one in the WP Pop Up Store in Piazza XXV Aprile, winding through an exhibition path that will combine the chromatic nuances of the G9 Harrington Jacket of Baracuta with the Velocity Blue of the new model of F-Type Jaguar. Thanks to LED screens and videomapping, the entire scenario of the event will interact with the car, demonstrating together its deep connection with the values of Britishness and the absolute versatility of genderlessness.

It's the ability of English design to conceive an aesthetic that possesses all the richness of the past but that maintains its irremediable and constant contemporaneity to bring together two seemingly so different realities. Jaguar was one of the greatest expressions of the most classic and stainless English style. Motor enthusiasts know that in a Jaguar you have to admire not only balance and composure, but also that dramatic, exciting and extreme element that is just an anticipation of the intoxication you feel driving it. And precisely this theatricality hidden in sophistication represents the essence of the English style – a style that, like Jaguar, has its roots in the world of luxury but that over the years has adapted to reflect the spirit of its own times. And that's why today, the new model of F-Type that will be presented will be like a blank canvas to paint, a model of classic elegance and it lends itself to be driven by both male and female audiences, perfectly embodying Jaguar DNA in its purest form. The Original 2000 Jaguar F-Type concept was in fact the result of the combined effort of Geoff Lawson, Keith Helfet, Adam Hatton, Pasi Pennanen and Ian Callum: a two-seater speedster whose retro styling resembled Jaguar cars of the 50s and 60s. The styling was then taken up for the presentation of the new Models of F-Type from 2013 onwards that became the spiritual successors of the E-Type model, what Enzo Ferrari himself called the most beautiful car in the world.

The same '50s and '60s were the ones in which, incidentally, the immortal design of the Harrington Jacket G9 in Baracuta was born – a pillar not only of the English Mod style that shares with Jaguar the same sophistication obtained through linearity and the essentiality of the forms, but also more representative of immortal icons of youth and its multiple subcultures, able to bring together personalities such as that of Elvis, James Dean and Damon Albarn to the style of American colleges of the 50s up to iconography of English skinheads. From the youth of the American Ivy League of the 1950s to the stars of Hollywood, through English Mods, punks and skinheads, the Harrington Jacket was the uniform of elegance, rebellion, belonging, style and freedom, always remaining the same Same. The Harrington Jacket was made iconic not by the characters who wore it, but its very nature as a symbol of change in men's fashion and a reflection of social and cultural changes.

This new event organized by the two brands will be an ideal continuation of that trend that unites the world of fashion and that of motoring – a cross-cutting trend that has seen both high fashion brands such as Gucci and Ermenegildo Zegna collaborate with Fiat and Maserati, both historic streetwear names, such as Supreme who collaborated with Fox Racing in 2016 and vanson Leather in both 2017 and the latest SS20 collection. One of the initiators of the trend was Karl Aberg and Spencer Phippsche who in Marc by Marc Jacobs' FW14 collection brought motocross boots, graphics and technical fabrics to the catwalk with graphics designed by Palace's logo creator, Fergus Purcell. There was also a mix of the music world in 2016, with the alternative cover chosen by Frank Ocean for Blond. The trend continued later in the fashion weeks, moving from Marcelo Burlon to Vetements to Moschino, culminating in 2018 with the shows of Tommy Hilfiger and GmbH.

The reunion to be held on Sunday at the pop-up store in Piazza XXV Aprile, however, will be different from all the cases mentioned above because it will cover a style that is only English, showing how two realities from different worlds can reconcile in the sign of design, essentiality and color.