In 1965 a young Elio Fiorucci arrived in London bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and was greeted by the biggest and boldest youthquake of the century. Carnaby Street and the King’s Road are in full swing; and the city's cool kids were hanging out at Liberty’s, Biba and Mary Quant. Elio returned to his hometown in Italy inspired.

Two years later, he opened the doors to his first Fiorucci store in Milan’s Galleria Passarella. The shop was eclectic, outlandish and like nothing anyone in the chic fashion capital had ever seen before. Fast forward to 2017, Elio opened his first UK store in the beating heart of London’s Soho where it all began.

Today, the Berwick Street shop has made some space for the new collection designed by artistic director Daniel Fletcher. “I’ve been sitting on this one for a while and I'm so happy for it to be out. It really feels like a reflection of the evolution of the brand over the past few years,” Daniel tells Because.


The designer took to the helm of the storied luxury fashion house nearly four years ago now and has since gently guided the brand into chicer pastures. “When started the brand was very much about The Angel t-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts, which are of course a core part of our business but the new collection allows you to have a full Fiorucci wardrobe,” he says.

The new pre-fall 2023 collection features signature Cuban shirts, monogram prints, and a Harrington jacket, all rendered in espresso brown, bold rosso, acid-wash blue and stone. Standouts are the faux leather trousers and jackets; one fitted with a shearling collar that sits proudly on the shoulders of the tailored blazer – a reference to Daniel’s expert menswear craftsmanship. There’s also a fun banana handbag, which references the archive, taken from a print commissioned by Elio Fiorcucci himself and Andy Warhol.


The Angels motif is reimagined into a laser-etched print across denim separates, from shirting to a cute square-neck mini dress styled over baggy jeans. “The Angels are the most instantly recognisable Fiorucci thing, and looking through the archive of the last 60 years you can see all the different ways in which they have been reinterpreted,” he says, “I’m always trying to think of new ways to evolve them.”


Daniel pinpoints his favourite series of pieces, a dress and shirt printed with a photograph taken at Studio54 on Fiorucci's 15th birthday party. “The archive is such a treasure trove but this dress was never recovered,” Daniel says, “I'm sure it's something that was only worn for one night and for now, we have the trompe l'oeil version.”


Shop the collection now at fiorucci.com or in the Soho store on 39, Berwick Street, W1F 9UD...