Sportmax SS24 Fashions "A Gardener's Ballad"

On an industrial runway in Milan, Sportmax lifted the veil on its Spring/Summer 2024 collection, titled “A Gardener’s Ballad.” The brand, which was founded in 1969 and cites influences in American sportswear and Swinging London’s free fashion, placed savoir-faire in the fore this season, with technically-innovative garments that had plantlike roots.

Beginning silhouettes, in strict white, spanned corsetted bodysuits, rubber-reminiscent shirts, structured, oversized tops and multi-layered blazers. Tubular dresses with structured ends hosted realistic depictions of budding flowers across their faces, while transparent tops and two-piece sets mimicked the clear wrappings that protect flowers.

Later on, bright, floral tones entered the mix, starting with an orange-pink coverall that one model let drag on the floor behind her. A similar creation, in green and red, appeared only a few looks on, before hues of purple, orange, pink and teal began to define the larger color story.

A sheer button-up dress was finished in lilac, while a rectangular dress, featuring a sharply-cornered guard that ran up to its wearer’s chin, opted for peach. Small tops, dresses and skirts frequently employed stretched knitwear and netting for construction, while formal iterations oftentimes recruited colorful, see-through layers over their opaque interiors. After spinning the tonal wheel, the collection reverted to its all-white origins, with a selection of organic, intentionally crinkled gowns that appeared strapped to models’ bodies.

See Sportmax’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection in the gallery above, and stay tuned to Hypebeast for more Milan Fashion Week coverage.