Last Tuesday, June 10th, we attended a presentation unlike any other. In the magical spaces of the Fondazione Sozzani in Milan, a new chapter unfolded in the narrative of an all-Italian brand we already got to know last year, Saelf. This emerging brand, founded by Giulia Spitaleri, chose to introduce itself to the public with an event that is anything but conventional. It’s called TRACCIA I, the first episode of a multi-voice project where fashion, art, and audience blend in a continuous cycle of transformation.
At the heart of the event was the Wall of Interpretation: a participatory installation inviting the public to leave drawings, symbols, and even words. Instinctive gestures, fleeting emotions, thoughts left on fabric that will become the print of the brand’s next collection. “This way, what is born from a fleeting moment is transformed into form, memory, matter,” explains Spitaleri. This seems to be the soul of Saelf: a brand that sees the garment not as an endpoint, but as the beginning of an open narrative.
TRACCIA I is the first fragment of a story built episode by episode. Each event generates both physical and symbolic material for the next collection, giving life to a chain of moments involving artists, performers, and the brand’s own community.
Saelf x Alessandro Calabrese
The “zero chapter” of this journey was the collaboration with Alessandro Calabrese, a visual artist whose work Hierarchy of Genres became the print for three iconic pieces unveiled during the event. The work, made exclusively available to Saelf for this season courtesy of Viasaterna, was exhibited in its original form inside the space, underscoring the bond between art and fashion.
From the setup (designed by Nicola Pantano), the garments – displayed directly on the floor – brought to life a series of complete looks including footwear by 21.23 and Marsèll, and jewelry by Criloi. Each look embodied a different female figure, narrating archetypes and identities through textures, volumes, and details, amplified by a music selection meant to give emotional depth to the experience.
Making everything even more vivid was a performance by artist Lara Damaso, a physical and vocal gesture that traversed the space. A suspended moment that heightened the perception of what could be experienced in the present, giving something more back to Saelf.
The project doesn’t stop here: the collection born from TRACCIA I will be at the center of the next episode, which in turn will spark new collaborations and traces. A process that doesn’t follow seasons – Saelf is and remains seasonless – traveling along a path far from the conventional dynamics of the fashion world.
What We Loved Most
Beyond the garments, this kind of setup proves how it’s possible to rethink the presentation of a collection in a new, different, and certainly more fun way for those who truly appreciate styling, fashion, and everything that goes into a brand’s storytelling. Essential elements for a brand like Saelf, which is trying to carve out its space in a challenging and often repetitive landscape.
ph. courtesy Lorenzo Vitali, Emil Bovey, Pietro Cassini
