Evolution, mutation, innovation. Tradition, savoir-faire, quality. These are the boundaries within which Kiton moves, Italian manufacturing excellence born in Arzano, a town just outside Naples. Season by season the brand continues to fuse the accuracy of tailoring and the comfort of leisurewear. For spring/summer 2023, the rule is that there are no rules to do this at the best.
The Spirit of Kiton
The cornerstones of the Kiton wardrobe change without losing their spirit. The shirts, for instance, evolve to become overshirts, lightweight jackets or blousons, losing the former conceptual rigidity. Outerwear does the same, it is simplified and made of materials previously intended only for shirts such as Sea Island cotton or washed silk. The volumes change thanks to the leisure element which has entered the design in a big way, softening and widening the classic silhouette: the jacket is deconstructed, the pants have pleats and are wider at the hips and narrow at the bottom, the suit has bermudas as an alternative to the classic trousers, the latter also declined in the feminine version. In fact, the dialogue between the two wardrobes is fluid, the only least common denominator is comfort combined with the utmost elegance. It is here that design plays an essential role, in addition to the exclusive fabrics produced by the company’s own wool mills, the creative drive is increasingly strong, working in two directions. On the one hand rewriting the rules of Neapolitan tailoring, with the great return of linen for lightweight jackets and suits, for both men and women, but still flawless.
The Third Generation
On the other, treasuring the technological incubator that is KNT, an acronym for Kiton New Textures, launched in 2018 by twins Mariano and Walter De Matteis, the third generation of the family, the company’s experimental offshoot. Hence the use of high-tech, yet precious materials. Field jackets of the lightest Japanese nylon or down jackets weighing just 50 grams. Minimal weights to emphasize the concept of layers: the idea of a unique, layered wardrobe for every latitude and genre with the bomber jacket, silk and cashmere polo, shirts, blouses and patterned dresses, impalpable t-shirts, jeans that can be layered for infinite combinations for both him and her.
Shades of Kiton
The palette is essential and favors monochrome with shades ranging from olive green and moss to burnt nuances such as brick red, from the signature blue and white to flashes of yellow and cherry red that enliven the look. For the evening, the return to social life brings back a longing for classic elegance, so the dinner jacket reaffirms its iconicity thanks to Kiton’s sartorial mastery, also for women in a three-piece nude-look mother-of-pearl version. The accessories section continues to expand and reflects the metamorphosis of clothing. Trainers, by now bestsellers, contaminate the world of the classics: loafers with and without tassels, lace-ups and monk straps are combined with contrasting white soles reminiscent of boat shoes.