Cavalli menswear: Fausto Puglisi debuts with Mike Tyson techno-Tuscan badass bling

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jul 20, 2021

Techno tribal-print mania at Cavalli, and all the better for it, in the debut menswear collection and video starring Mike Tyson for the house by designer Fausto Puglisi, unveiled Monday evening online.

 
Not perhaps the Iron Mike of the 1990s, but a shaven headed and even wizened 55-year-old who first appears in a zebra-print boxing gown, trimmed with Cavalli logos.
 
“I’m the fire, I’m the flame, I’m burning,” narrates Mike, whose next look is a flaming tiger silk shirt and matching shorts. Before the former world heavyweight champion suddenly delivers a flurry of punches in a posh S&M outfit of multiple chains and studs.

Archetypes through the video – from posh hardcore S&M dudes to late-night urban party animals. As if the pandemic had never happened.
 
Puglisi’s best ideas were composite animal-print shirts, tops and baseball jackets updating the Cavalli animal print DNA with blends of leopard, cheetah, tiger and zebra.
 
All shot with great dash, the cast storming out of an all white background, marching in bovver boots in a video directed by Tommaso Ottomano, with a kickass soundtrack by Bloom.

 
Far more urban warrior than rocker playboy in lots of smeared expressionist prints. They say that Kenzo fired its last designer because he didn’t deliver enough tried-and-tested tiger prints. Well, fans of the big cat should look no further than Cavalli, where Puglisi created some sensational tiger-print silk shirts and snakeskin blousons.
 
Fausto even produced the ultimate red-tiger leather weekend barrel bag. All accessorized with lots of funky metallic jewelry – sharks’ teeth, claws, eagles’ hooks and endless chains. All the prints and even some teeth funneled into a series of hyper-color men’s briefs. 
 
Climaxing with Tyson releasing a half dozen doves.
 
Talk about tough Tuscan bling – all very true to the brand, very commercial and very Fausto Cavalli.