Happy 50th Birthday, Iceberg!

Marking half of a century this year, Iceberg translated its innovative spirit with the vibrant and energetic Spring-Summer 2025 collection during the Fashion Week in Milan. Bold hues, daring silhouettes, and a lot of colour in the palette were aimed not only to demonstrate its rich and diverse fashion history but also to take a little glimpse into the future.

ACID COLOURS OF ACTIVEWEAR

This time the lineup was about freshness and lightness, embracing its rich history and taking a considerable nod to Castelbajac's creations. “The collection is very positive, clean and it celebrates the legacy of different designers who created the Iceberg history for the past five decades. With references and elements of the previous collections yet to push the brand’s style forward, because I like the fact that Iceberg has always been about tomorrow”, – the brand’s creative director James Long told the press backstage after the show. Neon yellow and sky blue vinyl leather and burnt orange suede made a delicate blend with grey and beige knitwear and reversible overcoats made of poplin. The show featured standout pieces like safari jackets, skirts and dresses, some floor-length with daring slits and styled with big necklaces. Oversized shirts were worn on top of the ribbed knit dresses or simply covering women’s bodysuits – all together made an edgy twist to the aesthetic of the collection. While for men, striped mohair sweaters were paired with wide shorts and sleek trench coats, which echoes the women’s part.

In this season Iceberg debuted with its eyewear line, produced in collaboration with AVM 1959. Creating those pieces, James Long drew his inspiration from 20th-century interior decor design, especially metals. These details were also present on the footwear: kitten heels in acid colours and evening flats with metal elements alongside classic men’s derbies and brogues shoes.

CRACKING THE ICEBERG: BOOK CELEBRATING THE СREATIVE UNIVERSE OF THE BRAND

As part of the celebrations for the brand’s 50th anniversary, Iceberg revealed the forthcoming release of the “Iceberg 1974-2024 Rewind-Fast Forward”. This one-of-a-kind title will trace the Italian brand’s evolution from its origins to the present day, highlighting pivotal moments and the heritage of designers who worked with Iceberg in the last 50 years.

It’s a story of a legend and the biggest talents of our times. Founded in 1974 by Silvano Gerani and Giuliana Marchini, the Italian fashion house became a household name in Italy, becoming synonymous with local avant-garde designs. At the beginning, they collaborated with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, who was the brand’s first creative director from 1976 to 1987, and then with other star designers like Anna Sui or Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared2, who helmed the creative decision of Iceberg between 2002 and 2004. Giambattista Valli, worked as the co-creative designer of the brand alongside Paolo Gerani from 2004 until 2007 and even Kim Jones, had been working as an assistant designer at the fashion house at the start of his career. All of these decades are reflected in the book.

What is more, in the nineties, Iceberg was one of the most influential image makers, capturing through the lens of Steven Meisel legends of creative industries - think Marc Jacobs, Iggy Pop, or Isabella Rossellini. While in the 2000s embracing the new wave of celebrities, the most influential photographers of the time, such as David LaChapelle and Peter Lindbergh created catchy pictures starring Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, Pamela Anderson, Lil’ Kim and Paris Hilton. Some of them represented the new and extremely popular Ice and Ice Jeans, two lines for the younger generation, which later expanded and diversified. During its golden era, the brand gained major success. It offered something new to the fashion market, an intellectual and innovative activewear with a daring touch of Italian attitude. You can see these references in the latest anniversary collections but also in the new tome.

The volume was created with the supervision of James Long and penned by the Italian fashion guru Angelo Flaccavento, known for his encyclopaedic knowledge and severe fashion commentary, accompanied by the designs of Luca Stoppini, the legendary artistic director who used to be a part of L’Uomo Vogue under Franca Sozzani and is now in charge of creative direction at ICON globally. The volume features iconic fashion campaigns and never-seen-before images from behind the scenes and also delves into Castelbajac’s works and sketches, some of which the artist-turned-fashion designer recreated specifically for the project.

Courtesy: Iceberg

Text: Oleg Tsozik