Exactly one year ago today, the Toronto-based designer Warren Steven Scott was enjoying traveling around Italy on vacation—but more specifically, he was there to follow around the Italian pop star Marco Mengoni while on his summer tour. “I traveled to Bologna, Rome, and Florence, and had tickets to his shows in each city,” says Scott. “I’ve always had an interest in Italian culture: Italy was one of the first countries I ever traveled to.”
At the time, Scott—who is Indigenous, from the Nlaka’pamux Nation in British Columbia—had just discovered Mengoni’s music, and he became a fan of not only his distinct voice, but his theatrical stage style. (Mengoni, who was styled by Dua Lipa’s go-to Lorenzo Posocco for the tour, wore everything from custom Versace to Valentino.)
“I noticed he wears a lot of monochromatic looks, but a lot of embellishments and decorative applications as well,” says Scott. “I really identified in the way he dressed.” Scott was so inspired by his wardrobe that, a year later, he is now releasing a whole menswear collection inspired by Mengoni himself.
Photo: Kristina Dittmar
The new line, titled “The Place Where We Went Together, Remember?,” launches today, and marks Scott’s first foray into designing men’s clothes. (Scott started off designing shapely earrings, which remain a bestseller for him, but he recently started producing womenswear as well.) When the designer felt ready to challenge himself with taking on menswear, he says he found himself instantly drawn back to the flamboyance and drama of Mangoni’s personal style. “As a creative prompt, I asked myself what I would do if I were asked to design Marco’s tour wardrobe,” says Scott.
The result? A vibrant mix of new men’s pieces that certainly command the spotlight. And better yet, you don’t need to be a musical A-lister to wear them. Garments, ranging from $200 to $2,500 USD, are certainly not your everyday basics: There’s silky wrap-tied blouses, and embroidered sequin coats. “Even though this collection is imagined for a stage performance, it’s also designed for special occasions,” says Scott. “I wanted to design what I would wear out for dinner. The garments are meant to be fun, enjoyed, and to be seen in.”
Photo: Kristina Dittmar
