Moncler Extraordinary Forever – Moncler celebrated 70th Anniversary at Piazza del Duomo in Milan, bringing 18,000 people together on a special night. Story by Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE. Photo Courtesy: Moncler.

In 1952, the brand was born in Monestier-de-Clermont, France, with the simple goal to protect alpine workers from the cold. Through constant innovation, it equipped the most epic expeditions towards the world’s highest peaks and accompanied the French Olympic ski team in 1968. During the “Paninari” movement of the 1980’s it became an icon of Milanese urban style, and in the 2000’s the brand graduated to the runways of Paris and Milan, with flagship boutiques opening on the world’s most iconic luxury streets. In 2018 Moncler disrupted the conventions of the luxury world once again with Moncler Genius — an invitation to renowned fashion designers from across the globe to reinterpret Moncler’s heritage for today. Moncler’s 70th anniversary mark’s a pivotal moment in the history of the brand.

Moncler Extraordinary Forever – Moncler celebrated its 70th Anniversary at Piazza del Duomo in Milan, bringing almost 18,000 people together on a special night. Story by Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE.

“Milano and Moncler, Together, in infinity. Making unforgettable moments for the next seventy years. Icons don’t age. One luminous city. 70 years of peaks and pinnacles. A historic moment to celebrate our past, present, and future.”

Moncler celebrated 70 years with a landmark show at Piazza del Duomo — a symbolic event that kicked off a 70-day program of global
celebrations.

70 years of extraordinary, 70 years of performance, the night’s energy pivoted around the iconic Maya jacket: a historical design revisited for today, bridging the brand’s origins with the brand’s future.

The show opened by the prima ballerina of Teatro alla Scala di Milano Virna Toppi, featured a unique blend of 1952 artists — representing the founding year of Moncler — who “painted” the square a palette of white as they sang, danced, and strutted in the specially made Moncler Maya 70 jackets. Renowned choreographer Sadeck Berrabah (Sadeck Waff) orchestrated the show, gifting Moncler lovers with a unique reinterpretation of contemporary dance, stretching the geometric limits of the human body.

The event was open to the public, and even the rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of a maximum-capacity 18,000 spectators, who admired the performance from the main square, as well as from the surrounding balconies and terraces.

“Last night in Piazza del Duomo, I witnessed the perfect portrait of the future of Moncler. Tradition and innovation, key cornerstones of the brand, were united by the iconic Maya jacket — a design that keeps evolving in style and materials, thus, always remaining contemporary. We saw vigor in the execution and the uniqueness of an unprecedented performance exploring new territories in dance. There was a wave of emotion as we lived this experience together, and that moment was shared across the world through digital channels. And finally, what I am most proud of is that we gathered together all generations, and felt the strong energy coming from our communities. It is with them that we want to build our next 70 years. At Moncler we dream together, not alone,” commented Remo Ruffini, Chairman and CEO of Moncler.

700 dancers, 200 musicians, 100 choir members, 952 models performed at the show.
The performance began with a group of dancers covering the entire piazza in white, creating a blank canvas and instilling a feeling of new beginnings. A lone chorist began to sing acapella as Virna Toppi, prima ballerina of Teatro alla Scala, appeared on stage, dancing solo. Moments later, she was joined by Sadeck Waff as the whole Voci Bianche choir began to sing. The choir came to a silence as a Milanese orchestra, with participating musicians from Teatro alla Scala, began to play Carmina Burana. The crowd then enjoyed a performance by Waff and a troupe of dancers. Together, their perfect geometric movements built in energy, creating an electrifying atmosphere in the square. At this climactic point, the music transitioned from live orchestral to electronic music, performed by DJ Lorenzo Senni. The vast 1952-person cast, moving as one, formed a final tableau; showered by confetti.

Remo Ruffini was joined in Piazza del Duomo by many friends of the brand including: Alessandra Ambrosio, Salehe Bembury, Blanco, Bianca Brandolini, Eric Chou, Cesc Fàbregas, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Future, Matilde Gioli, Anne Hathaway, Elsa Hosk, Minhyun Hwang, Carmen Jordá, JR, Colin Kaepernick, Michèle Lamy, Sungkyung Lee, Nessa, Normani, Tobi Nwigwe, Bella Poarch, Francesco Ragazzi, Francesco Scianna, Maria Sharapova, Nigel Sylvester, Shaun White, Pharrell Williams, Shailene Woodley, Na Ying.

70th anniversary program

A global media campaign sharing archival to present day photography will celebrate Moncler’s vast landmark moments. A story with a bold past, present, and future emerges from a mosaic of 16 moments, revealing a multitude of Moncler voices, faces, and places. From a snow-capped K2 to the Grenoble Winter Olympics,
Paninari youth culture, and the unbridled energy of Moncler Genius: each Moncler pinnacle represents a milestone shared. This colorful visual campaign aims to share Moncler’s history with current and new communities, and to spotlight the brand’s many peaks. It will roll out in international publications, outdoor and digital displays globally with dedicated showcases in key international cities like Milan, where Corso Garibaldi will be taken over to create an open-air gallery.

A limited-edition anniversary version of the Moncler Maya down jacket for women and men will be available for a short time only. Originating in the 1950s, the Maya has evolved over the decades with various iterations and evolutions to become one of the most cherished styles. The exclusive Moncler Maya 70 launching October 1st is a commemoration of this moment and a fresh reinterpretation for Maya fans, featuring anniversary logo branding and 13 exclusive colorways, including a special Platinum metallic version reflecting the traditional codes of a 70th anniversary.

Emphasizing Moncler’s incredible record of creative collaboration, CEO and Chairman Remo Ruffini invites 7 designers who have shaped the brand to interpret the Maya jacket anew. The Maya 70 Collaborations have given birth to 7 unique and inimitable designs that radiate the core DNA of Moncler. Starting on October 15th, a new designer interpretation will drop each week, with creations from Thom Browne, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Rick Owens, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Francesco Ragazzi, Giambattista Valli, and Pharrell Williams.

Bringing Moncler Anniversary celebrations to our global community, an immersive exhibition will go on tour — kicking off at New York’s Highline on October 5th, before moving on to London (October 12th), and Seoul (November 18th). Each city experience recreates peak Moncler moments through vivid multisensory technology, bringing past, present, and future together through cinematic video, historical archives, and contemporary fashion heirlooms. A Chinese edition will be completely virtual.

Moncler expands its community and brand experiences in the metaverse with the introduction of 7 Moncler Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Delivered in partnership with the web3 solutions platform Arianee, a series of NFTs have been created by the German digital artist Antoni Tudisco. The first NFT artwork is dedicated to Milan and will celebrate the 70th anniversary show, whilst the second will be available with the Platinum version of the new Moncler Maya 70 jacket. The remaining five NFT artworks will be part of The Extraordinary Expedition city experiences, where an edition of 500 NFT artworks per city will be made available.

See all performance images Moncler 70th Anniversary Milan