Gorpcore according to the Maranza

Mattia Barbieri, aka Rondodasosa, has just collaborated with Drake for the new collection of the Canadian rapper's clothing brand OVO. One of the most discussed, criticized, and sometimes maybe even hated figures of the hip-hop scene and Italian political propaganda, he has managed in a short time (and with only a few tracks) to climb the charts and achieve a goal that some artists can only dream of: appearing in Drake's Instagram Stories. There's no denying that despite the criticism, the Maranza stereotype applied to Rondo, a legacy of French racailles and a milder version of American gangster rappers, has caught on to the point where his look still has more to say than his music. Still, the cobalt blue outfit and Arc'teryx cap he greeted Drake with was a far more gorpcore and sophisticated declination of the simple Nike suits we are used to seeing him in. Could this be the beginning of redemption, at least aesthetically, for the new generation of rapper Maranza?

But let us start at the beginning. The term 'maranza' comes from 1980s Milan and is synonymous with "boor". Today it stands for boys who usually travel in groups to annoy tourists and their peers, commit thefts, and cause trouble, the classic 'bullies' from the suburbs with a penchant for crime. The textbook stereotype of the 'maranza' spread virally on TikTok is always walking around in dungarees, acetate or tech, football jersey and sleeveless, hat or bandana, completing the look with exaggeratedly large necklaces, Nike Tn, and a shoulder bag, usually Gucci or Louis Vuitton, often fake. Wired Italia points out that over time the term has acquired a double meaning: «the first, related precisely to this pack vandalism (which, however, has not been repeated in Riccione to the same extent as in Peschiera del Garda), the second, almost folkloric, which is about ironizing their clothes and mannerisms». What Baby Gang, Simba la Rue, Jordan Jeffrey, Gallagher, Traffik, Ski & Wok, rising stars of the music scene, one talented, the other a knock-off of an all-too-common stereotype, have in common, apart from their looks and their drugs, is their passion for going to the barracks. The role model? The London con men, an evolution of the Roadmen and the British equivalent of the Maranza, whose progenitor is Central Cee, the king of tracksuits, berets, ever-popular puffers and low-waisted trousers with exposed boxers.

A style that - apart from a few high-fashion deviations such as the Chanel logo necklace with diamonds (in his own words, the set of his initials), the Full Look Chrome Hearts, and the Marni accessories - does not aim for the sophisticated but offers replicable fits. A case in point is the rapper's appearance at the British Fashion Awards in a modest Quechua jacket and Nike sweatpants (which he proudly said he got from Decathlon), with which he carried a Dior fanny pack. While others might have faltered or felt out of place in such a context, Central Cee appeared completely unconcerned amidst a deluge of evening wear, choosing to stay true to his style even at the expense of the social situation. «Always in Quechua. Size M Quechua. Size M Kipsta,» said Steve and Zed of 13 Block in 2018. And Central Cee on the red carpets proves that nothing has changed. It's the cheap gorpcore we are used to seeing on the streets of Marseille, London, and Rozzano, both in the suburbs and on the sets of rap videos, that reaches a new level of sophistication with Rondo in Arc'teryx but stays true to itself (and the Maranza).