Ever Heard of Simon Cracker? Thankfully, Now You Have
When I visited Milan I was able to learn about so many new fashion labels that are more European-based and aren’t as available in America. One label that I came across was Simon Cracker, this has to be my favorite brand that I learned about during my time in Europe. Simon Cracker is chaotic, colorful, intriguing, and overall very creative.
Photo: Simon Cracker
Creative director and founder, Simone Cracker, was born in 1985 in Italy and has always been interested in the arts. However, it wasn’t until 2006 that he launched his own small label that consisted of accessories created from upholstery materials. Later in 2010, he officially launched his Milan-based brand, Simon Cracker, at Paris Fashion Week.
Simon Cracker is all about giving old or unused clothes or materials a new life and bringing a new meaning to something that has come to an end.
“Crack is the fundamental concept of my brand. It means destruction: cracking something useless and give it new life.”
Photo: Simon Cracker
This brand is all for sustainability, so everything is up-cycled and given a new life. In order to reduce the amount of waste they curate each order specifically to the buyer. Their website even quotes the one and only Vivienne Westwood, “as our beloved Vivienne Westwood says ‘BUY LESS, CHOOSE WELL’”.
Photo: Simon Cracker
The Simon Cracker garments that I saw in a store in Milan were one-of-a-kind and unique punk pieces that give a statement. This shirt and skirt set was plastered with “Reality Bites” and had little drawings and doodles all over it. Another purse was similar, covered in doodles and little symbols, but both pieces had “Cracker” written on them to display the brand name.
Simon Cracker just had their Ready to Wear Spring 2024 collection at Milan Fashion Week earlier in June. This collection was filled with bright colors, mixing and matching, and the randomness of putting multiple things together that you wouldn’t ever think of.
Photo: Simon Cracker via Women’s Wear Daily
The Milan show was also very unique as the models are more androgynous than most runway models with colored hair, tattoos, and unique haircuts. While nothing and everything matched at the same time in the looks, the backdrop was similar. The background of the show consisted of huge colorful butterflies on a white wall paired next to darker-colored bats. These both made the garments pop even more on the models.
Photo: Simon Cracker via Women’s Wear Daily
While Simone Cracker runs his label, he also works for some other brands such as Who’s Who, Mariu De Sica, MSGM, and Jo No Fui as a stylist, social media director, and art director. While he might be a very busy guy, he does amazing work and it is a refreshing and unique style brought to the fashion world.
