Forte Forte Spring/Summer 2027

Forte Forte’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection takes the idea of travel quite literally, imagining an idealised journey along the ancient Spice Route from Egypt and Morocco to Samarkand and Venice. Rather than treating those destinations as isolated references, the collection attempts to capture the cultural exchange that happened between them, translating it through saturated colour, artisanal techniques and richly worked surfaces. Sand, saffron, amber, cinnamon and cardamom form the earthy foundation, while Majorelle blue and mint green push the evening pieces into brighter territory.

The clothes are at their most convincing when that sense of movement is expressed through fabrication rather than obvious souvenir-like references. Prints, crochet and woven details give the collection a tactile quality, while fluid silhouettes allow the decoration to move with the body. There is a clear sense of Forte_forte’s Veneto roots beneath the travelling fantasy: the craftsmanship remains intimate and handmade rather than attempting to mimic the grandeur of the places being referenced.

Accessories are given considerably more importance this season, with bags and shoes conceived as part of the collection’s visual language rather than secondary additions. The woven construction of the “My Penelope” ankle boot is particularly useful as a recurring motif, echoed through bags and the crocheted “My Pepita” shoulder strap. Murano glass jewellery, made by a Venetian craftswoman, extends the same dialogue between local craft and a broader Mediterranean imagination.

The risk with a collection built around the Spice Route is that cultural references can easily become decorative shorthand. Forte_forte largely avoids that trap by grounding the idea in its own artisanal practice, although some of the colour and imagery occasionally edges towards the picturesque. Still, SS27 makes a convincing case for craftsmanship as the common language connecting different cultures. Rather than chasing modernity through minimalism or novelty, Forte_forte finds something more enduring in texture, colour and the accumulated knowledge of making.