Simon Craker FW26: a manifesto on listening, time and the human scale of fashion

Unveiled at Milan Fashion Week, Simon Craker FW26 reframes the runway as a space for reflection rather than spectacle, proposing fashion as an act of listening, slowness and shared humanity.

People don’t really listen.

Everyone talks, everyone shouts, everyone feels the need to have their say without listening to others.

We often think about the answer before we’ve even finished the question.
We don’t really listen anymore; we just take in everything, even things that don’t really interest us. We are constantly bombarded with a lot of images, videos and sounds that are not useful. This can confuse us and distract us from the important things. We need to stop. And listen to the people around us.

For a long time, traditional designs were ignored in favour of creating protective clothing that would fit anyone. Today, it’s important to think about different body shapes and how they look. Simon Cracker‘s designs are all about diversity, but this time the story starts with classic men’s fashion. This style is questioned, transformed and deconstructed until it reaches a point where it matches the brand’s identity. It is an identity that has never forced rules on anyone, but has always ignored them. This has led to a kind of language that is open, free and irresponsible, and which anyone willing to listen can access.

The main theme of the show is listening and being listened to, as Simone Botte explains.
After years of growth and development, the fashion industry seems to be changing a lot. It is now very fast-paced and fragmented, and things are being bought in a matter of months. It often happens quickly and without any time to talk about it, think about it, or stop and think.

Counting to one hundred becomes a symbolic act: slowing down, observing, listening, and making decisions more slowly and consciously. People are starting to value being slow again, as well as looking to the past and wearing vintage clothes that will never go out of fashion. The length of time a catwalk is around does not determine its value over time.

This makes us realise that we need to come up with a new way of creating fashion that is calmer, more attentive and more human. Viewers should listen to what designers are saying through their clothes, because it is not just about how things look, but how they can communicate something. Every detail, from the hanging thread to the ears printed on the garments, has a meaning. Nothing is random. If you ignore the story behind a fashion show, you’ll miss the point.

It takes designers a long time to create their work, and it’s not something that can be done quickly. It took months of research, sleepless nights, trying and failing, and insights that require time and commitment. And It is real, concrete work that needs attention in reality, in the body, in the space where it is performed, and that must continue even after the show.

If you become attached to a brand, it doesn’t mean you should only be interested in things that make you feel amazed right away or only engage with a brand when something is shocking. It means building a deeper, more human relationship based on listening, continuity and understanding. There is no such thing as a target audience: there are people. People who live their lives, who move, who make choices, who feel. This language is for them.

Count to one hundred.

Listen.

And move forward, together, beyond the show.

A special thank you to Fondazione Sozzani, Carla Sozzani, Sara Sozzani Maino, Silvia and Simone, who not only share a space, but a place that becomes a theatre and adapts to every creative act. They showed me kindness and listened to what I had to say, and we spent time together without rushing. This is the idea that we will see in the collection, and the words fit perfectly into the brand’s history. Even just their excitement at seeing the show before anyone else was really heartwarming.

I’d like to say a big thank you to Carlo Capasa and the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana for making this happen. They believe in small, independent fashion companies like Simon Cracker. These companies may not be very well-known, but they have a story to tell. They want to show that there is more than one way to do fashion. We also want to thank Camera Moda Fashion Trust. This is an organisation that helps, gives advice to and fights for people who are still thought of as marginal within the fashion system.

To all the boys and girls of the Simon Cracker Crew, and to the family that keeps the brand alive and authentic by walking and talking about the times we are living through, together with my creative group that helps me in every way possible, Pasquale, Simone, Nicholas, Aria, Ziggy, Donato, Greta, Lucas, Lucia, Maria (PWC) and Ludovica from Glami, Enrica Ramilli and her wonderful girls. To Pier and Fayer Communication, who believe in this adventure with us, and to our Garage showroom, Marina Guidi and Christina. This adventure may be difficult, but it can inspire enthusiasm in even the smallest things.

To my family, who have always been there for me and supported me in everything I have done since I was a child.

A huge thanks to Dr. Martens, who – together with Hub Connect – have helped us once again. Together, they’ve created a one-of-a-kind collection of footwear, based on the values of both brands. Footwear decorated and covered using recycled yarns and pieces of knitwear by Gaia Segattini, who has been part of the crew for years and always supports us in every way.

To WN Lab, who never gives up, supports the project in every way possible, makes processes easier and constantly comes up with new ways to reinvent ideas.

A big thank you to Beautick, who, for the first time ever for Simon Cracker, spoke about make-up while still following the brand’s vision: to make catwalk models look good, without hiding or changing them, and to celebrate the amazing range of people who walk the catwalk.

We would like to say a big thank you to Linea Pelle. They have already started supporting us by providing us with a selection of deadstock materials for this collection. This has allowed us to recycle them and use them to make accessories. This is a perfect preview, which will end with the second chapter during Milan Fashion Week in February.

To the Cesena Fashion School, with which we have created a style office that is a continuous exchange that goes beyond teaching and puts me in constant contact with new generations of creatives.

PH: © Francesca Di Giuseppe @likoframes
Hair and Makeup by Beautik

Courtesy of Fayer Communication