Moncler Invited 8,000 People to Party With A$AP Rocky and Rihanna in Shanghai

During a press conference in Shanghai, Ruffini said he envisioned an apartment building with some of its lights on, populated by “geniuses” in each window (one would have to look no further than the Genius logo to understand what he means), and he wanted to bring the ethos of this imaginary world to life. “It’s important for us to talk with the world, with all of our communities,” Ruffini said. “When you see a place full of energy, it says something interesting to the world.”

The energy was certainly not lacking at the brand’s Saturday event. Each of these designers was given free rein (music to any artist’s ears) to build a tiny world, or neighborhood, if you will, of their own in Moncler’s city. Enninful’s vision was brought to life via a trek through the elements: Models posed in thick coats and languished in a sandstorm, windstorm, and snowstorm, the latter of which featured a desk with several publications he’s worked at — The Face, i-D, British Vogue — and a framed photo of his beloved Boston terrier, Ru.

In Fujiwara’s “city,” a collaboration with the sculptor Richard Wilson, there were pools of reflective thick black liquid, which a staffer on-site mentioned had ink in them, that mirrored the floating coats dangling above and played into “the theme of still waters running deep.” Even though signs outside the exhibit explicitly told guests to not touch the reflections, several did. “As we navigate through our routines, we encounter a variety of stimuli that influence our creative process,” Fujiwara told the Cut. His collection was inspired in part by his day-to-day life. “In today’s world, where information is so readily accessible, we are constantly absorbing new ideas and inspirations. Each piece in the collection is a reflection of moments, reinterpreted through my lens.”

In Glover’s corner, an orange grove (there had to be some play on words between Glover and grove that wasn’t utilized) filled the area with lush green grounds and an aromatic scent, taking inspiration from the multi-hyphenate’s farm in Ojai. Across the way, Willow Smith tapped into nature as well. She utilized a little wordplay herself, filling her space with overgrown plants in a postapocalyptic garden and one very large willow tree that swayed gently in the chilled breeze. It was her take on a future in which humans and nature can coexist, her collection filled with exclusively black and white pieces made with circular, natural motifs: formfitting dresses and bulbous, puffy leg warmers.

Nigo and Palm Angels both leaned into the nostalgia and fun of cars, with the former utilizing a ’90s Mercedes-Benz G-Class and reimagining it with a puffy, cushioned shell. The latter built a miniature race course complete with actual drivers, made up of select guests wearing their metallic and primary-colored collection, speeding alongside one another in go-karts. I was desperate to get behind the wheel of one, but to no avail. Lulu Li, notably the only Chinese artist to create clothing in this iteration of Genius, opted for a house of mirrors to showcase her AI-driven designs.

Rick Owens, who is more popular and famous in China than even I could imagine (I saw Owens moving through the crowd at the event and thought it was Rihanna, who was also in attendance, because the swarm of people undulating around and following him was so massive), went full architect mode. Owens built a steel pod in a foggy room and dubbed the mountain “Refuge,” in which puffer-clad models walked around and whose insides revealed soft places to rest and sleep. For those desperate to re-create some version of a lunar landing in the safety of their home, fret not; the pod is for sale.