Something New

Learning about Menabòh for the first time, my initial reaction was, why hasn’t this been done before? Founded by Gaia Rialti in Florence, the concept is simple yet genius: when an item of clothing reaches its lifespan, becomes old or out of use like a wedding dress or a mother’s hand-me-downs, turn it into something new. 

Upcycling is a concept we’re all familiar with, and all the more power to those who do it, but Menabòh offers something different, something fresh. Collaborating with her designer friends, Gaia has built a project around incredible intimacy, keeping the client present at every stage. But like the clothes which pass through her practice, it was time for a change. 

This week marks the relaunch of Menabòh in the UK, with Luca Marchetto of JORDANLUCA fame coming on board as the new creative director. Gaia and Luca’s relationship, she describes, is completely yin and yang, in that they appear entirely different but together strike an impossibly natural balance. 

Luca founded JORDANLUCA alongside husband Jordan Bowen back in 2018, after working with Vivienne Westwood for years. This venture, for him, marks a volta in his practice: from fast-paced show schedules to a slower, more considered approach that demands constant learning and adaptation. That Menabòh is a label without a stockroom, a designer without collections, allows Luca’s fine-tuned design language to reinterpret itself with each invention.

Their first showcase together is called In Love Again. In one piece, a wedding dress becomes a bejewelled bomber jacket; in another, two jumpers become one via an elaborate intarsia knit. The colour palette, perhaps because of the heavy bridal inheritance throughout, is largely restrained to white, ivory and black - perhaps truer to Luca’s usual style. 

The future of the brand is an exciting prospect for the pair. With each item taking weeks to design, render and perfect, progression can feel less like a sprint than a slow, considered stroll. One current project, Luca reveals, is a 150-year-old dress from a friend’s great grandma back in Mexico. Extremely fragile, and far gone past its natural lifespan, the process requires superlative intimacy and care, weighing the piece’s incredible history against its new life. 

Menabòh launches today, the 6th of November, in the UK, with redesigns starting from £500. Find out more on their website.