Chinese sporting goods giant Li-Ning is expanding its collaboration with up-and-coming Danish menswear label Soulland. Soulland presented the first part of its SS23 collection on Wednesday at Florence’s Pitti Uomo fashion fair and new pieces in collaboration with Li-Ning.
The dark clouds of the approaching summer storm are brewing in the sky, but no raindrops are yet falling when the first models step onto the mighty steps of the Florentine Opera House.
Classics like a beige corduroy blazer ensemble are given a fresh twist by Soulland paired with a pale pink polo shirt. A wide hoodie cape made of black and beige lace belongs in the collection as well as a strapless crop top in pastel pasley. A panther-like fantasy mascot “Spring Devil” accompanies the collection as a tank top emblem and bag.
At first glance, Soulland’s designs are calm and timeless, and at second glance they are playful and modern thanks to the combination of diverse materials, silhouettes and accessories. In the crackling of the muggy summer evening air, its quiet power unfolds with every additional look in front of the monumental stage backdrop.
“Soulland is an energy and that should be the focus,” Silas Oda Adler, Soulland’s founder and creative director, said of the collection in a statement Thursday.
The brand already has a running collaboration with Li-Ning, modifying the sportswear brand’s high-performance pieces for its debut at Pitti. Soulland will be showing the second part of the SS23 collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week in August.