Bar Jamaica - Aldo Mondino e Elio Manini - Festa Araba - Milano, 1987 - photo by Fabrizio Garghetti
edited by
Robert Rabensteiner
A journey of feelings and traditions focused on the sense of aesthetics and invisible to the
mind. A path of work dealt freely, perhaps madly, to represent a great feeling, immediately
materialized, imagining and searching content of shapes, colors and invented combinations.
Memories of travels around the world seeking for the most profound and ancient tradition
of artisanship. A way of wearing clothes, inextricably linked to the magic of content, untied
to fashion, that creates a very intimate style... “ Piombiano”. To transfer to individuals a
neverending emotional chlorophyll function, an exchange of emotions, dreams and desires
that people subconsciously are looking for. A foolish heart towards the exasperated research
of fabrics and colors, inspired by the ancient Flemish and Renaissance art, digging into the
past to capture in the personalities of these artists a more contemporary application for the
pleasure of wearing. Within the collections emerges a certain mania and a dream-like vision
that materializes in the clothes. A project dedicated to amateurs. Full of life, it is sacred to the
idea of the dance. Tended towards the expression “the pictorial”, addresses combinations of
colors and shapes as if they were painted, and never with attitude of a merchant. In search of
the true essence of things, a passion for the beauty of tangible and sensible world, enhanced
and enriched by numerous trips to Western Europe, Eastern Europe, India and North Africa to
explain with the memory, impressions and souvenirs transfered in the collection. Loving what
is simple, real, concrete and human, preferring the matter and its forms and not only the world
of ideas. I do not look for a new fashion but only for new images of life. And when I finally find
them, I try to give form to a new collection. Maybe I am one of those who, imagining things,
are ready to sacrifice their lives to capture the fleeting forms of this world. Always respecting
the tradition, the heritage of the French Couture and taste, combined with the simplicity of the
magical colors of nature and exotic landscapes. Trying to assimilate and summarize the forms
of artistic culture in order to achieve simple jackets, coats, sweaters, scarves, dedicated to
the sensitivity of men and women detached from fashion, close to their sensitivity.
Massimo Piombo
Tomaso Van den Heuvel
“Neo-gothic, genius, generous friend.”
Michel Comte
Paolo Falck
Rocco Colucci
“Beautiful italian classic with humour and great
sense of colors and fabrics reseach.”
Carla Sozzani
Fabrizio e Nicolò Pelanda
Polimnia Attolico Trivulzio
Scilla Ruffo di Calabria
“Innovative, Sophisticated, a true Visionary!”
Matthew Singer
Carolina Orsi
Enrico Prisco
“Massimo is an extremely kind person, generous,
Massimiliano Zampolli
full of passion, creative and courageous in searching
for new horizons.”
Lapo Elkan
Carolina Salvati
Olivia Puri Negri
Filippo Rocca e Simone Baudo
“A secret world, effortless chic, perfect taste of color.” Olivier Zahm - Purple Fashion
“Massimo has a sense of style which does not
conform to the expected; unique and classic, like him.”
Mark Getty - Getty Images
Aldo Spoldi
Carlo Alberto Barbagallo
“Massimo has a perfect sense of the modern, the
elegant and the slightly eccentric the way life
should be lived.”
Tyler Brûlé - Monocle
“MP di Massimo Piombo is a uniquely romantic idea of mens
clothing, one that is focussed wholly on the beauty of things. Its a beauty that comes from minute details of texture, color, print or weave. Every garment has a kind of embedded history, a nostalgia for luxury
Lorenza de Prima
in the old sense – something which is hard to find these days.
It takes a certain nonchalant confidence to put such clothes together
because its not about rules, about what goes with what. In fact it’s the opposite of a uniform, a repertoire of style in which
every garment’s prime function is first that it is beautiful.”
Nick Sullivan - Esquire USA
Nicole Moellhausen
“MP de Massimo PiomboCollections by Massimo Piombo are the work of the
exuberant Marco Polo of connoisseurs fabric, deployed like a Blue Note Jazz artist
dressing a super dapper Italian aristocrat. Unique stuff, I rather like them.” Tom Stubbs - The Financial Times Luca Maffei
Massimo is the only fashion designer able to achieve
the correct fusion between tradition and innovation,
thanks to his unique feel and style.
Fanny Bauer Grung
“I know Massimo since long time. We are friends and I do like his
way to be curious to know ideas as every pure creative people.
His natural style, elegance and culture make him a special person .”
Remo Ruffini
Luca Bassani Antivari
In 1989, after pursuing classical studies to nurture his culture of beauty and
style, Massimo Piombo realizes he has the same passion of his entrepreneur/
fabric artisan grandfather and he leaves Liguria to follow a captivating training
between Scotland, France and western Europe. Carrying a suitcase of old
fabric samples, Massimo thus begins a long journey which leads him to search
for the factories which produced the fabrics originally and to get to know the
ancient, unique workmanship techniques of the art of “handmade”. These are
the moments which instantly inspire the substance and quality of his creations.
Massimo ultimately condenses quality and elegance in every weave and yarn
of his collections, with an added distinctive touch of original Italian creativity.
And it’s precisely this capability of combining excellence and eccentricity, class
and ingenuity, that gives rise to the refined yet, at the same time, exuberant
proposals of the Piombo brand, the first project through which Massimo embarks
upon his journey into the fashion world. All the way to January 2011, when
the experience comes full circle with the transition from Piombo to the new
brand MP MASSIMO PIOMBO, which foresees an important partnership between
the Creative Director of the brand and Ciro Paone, entirely dedicated to the
production aspect. MP MASSIMO PIOMBO represents an idea which combines
graceful design and formality, rich with masculine accents and poetic visions,
for essential garments that are versatile yet always impeccable, emphasized by
a classic soul but revisited in a modern timeless style. This new creative and
production path marks Massimo’s return to his initial passion, to the art of all things
handmade by Italian artisans, and his distance from mass production numbers
tied to industrial fashion. The cultured aesthetic and taste for research and the
selection of exclusive materials by Massimo Piombo are therefore transformed
into a complete, unique and authentic wardrobe through the artisan expertise of
Ciro Paone, also known across the world as the “Rolls Royce” of Italian tailoring.
“MP Massimo Piombo is envisaged and designed for beautiful people,” reveals
Massimo Piombo. “It’s a style message which conveys intense emotions and
suggestions. A ‘secret couture’ concept for a sophisticated, original, classy, yet
independent and ruthless image which exalts character, class and individuality
above all.” This is the contemporary man to whom Massimo dedicates his work
and the MP MASSIMO PIOMBO brand, which in addition to timeless jackets and
tailored suits also features a complete collection of formal and casual wear,
including coats, knitwear, shirts, all the way through to a one-of-a-kind line
of printed silk accessories. An exclusive dimension underscored by elegance,
intelligence and nonchalance; and by a subtle, nonconformist attitude which
expresses a passion for life and for fashion - that has always distinguished
the stylistic and personal approach of Massimo Piombo - through the most
refined quality and creative substance. MP’s distribution strategy also follows
this perspective: almost aiming to create a “Petit Club”, it breaks away from
mass distribution channels through an extremely selective network of the most
beautiful boutiques and stores across the world, in line with its values: Dover
Street Market, United Arrows, Tomorrowland, Beams, Idea in Japan, 10 Corso
Como, San Carlo, Degli Effetti in Italy, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue in
the USA and Mr. Porter for e-commerce, just to name a few.
Massimo Piombo
Creative Direction
Robert Rabensteiner
Photographer
Dylan Don
Art Direction
Parking S.r.l.
Printed in Italy by
Gdp Prepress S.r.l.
Special thanks to
Aldo Spoldi
Carlo Alberto Barbagtallo
Carolina Orsi
Carolina Salvati
Enrico Prisco
Fabrizio Pelanda
Fanny Bauer Grung
Filippo Rocca
Lorenza de Prima
Luca Maffei
Massimiliano Zampolli
Niccolò Pelanda
Nicole Moellhausen
Olivia Puri Negri
Paolo Falck
Polimnia Attolico Trivulzio
Scilla Ruffo di Calabria
Simone Baudo
Tomaso Van Den Heuvel
Bar Jamaica