«I like to be a free spirit. Some don’t like that, but that’s the way I am»
Diana, Princess of Wales
With its Spring Summer 2021 womens collection, Iceberg’s Creative Director James Long channels Princess Diana’s off-duty, sporty elegance — a facet of her style that catapulted her to fashion icon status. Like Diana, creative director Long is also a native of Althorp, Northamptonshire, the home of the Spencer Family aristocratic estate. “It was really a homage to Princess Diana, who has always influenced me so much and it also speaks to the type of globalized woman who divides her time between Rome, LA, London and the occasional Safari expedition,” Long muses.
Divided into four segments: Heritage and Sport Safari, Iceberg Losanga, Fun in Pink and Punky Grunge, the spring summer collection is the fruit of ardent teamwork amid unprecedented, historical times, requiring the design team to delve into Iceberg’s tradition as a luxury knitwear brand and its Italian Riviera roots, in order to produce something that reflects the times in which we live and architect a new female Iceberg image. “We all worked so hard, pulling our strengths together, in order to reinterpret this new Italian lifestyle,” Long adds.
For this reason, Iceberg’s “Vernice Fresca” print, a pop depiction of Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam,” a fresco that adorns the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, was contemporized and accentuated by a vibrant,escapist palette of melon, canary yellow and seafoam green and made into two-piece suits and sweater sets, the latter, calling to mindPrincess Diana’s endearing school pick-up and drop-off style. An additional nod to Diana’s style and Iceberg’s past, cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse were emblazoned onto oversized egg-yolk yellow sweatshirts fashioned with puckered, balloon sleeves and fresh, ribbed collar tennis tops, underscoring Iceberg’s flair for incorporating pop icons into Italian luxury sportswear.
The brand’s knitwear expertise also evolved this season, culminating in 3D bubble-wrap textures crafted into clubbing outfits and athletic wear that embraces the sinuous female silhouette. The bubble-wrap aesthetic is also translated onto prints, imbued with snake skin detailing conjuring safari landscapes and wildlife. A juxtaposition between technical and summer fabrics is prominent, with a diamond-quilted tulle evening dress and a black cotton knit top, sewn together with an asymmetrical poplin, ruffled skirt. Textured accents such as ripped and lurex embellishments and accessories such as visors, chain earrings and padded, black, cross shoulder bags are a salute to Long’s modernist, London vision, the brand’s edgy appeal and luxury DNA.