Fausto Puglisi Makes His Debut at Roberto Cavalli

“Season Zero” is the Italian designer’s first collection as the brand’s “creative consultant.”

On Monday, Roberto Cavalli released “Season Zero,” a reimagined approach to a Fall 2021 collection, under the direction of Fausto Puglisi, the brand’s recently-appointed “creative consultant.”

It may mark a new chapter for Roberto Cavalli, but Puglisi’s product debut mines the brand’s archives and most iconic signatures from the past decades. So, in true Cavalli fashion, it’s not for the minimalist or print-averse: Puglisi goes all-in on the animal prints, leather, sharp cut-outs and body-hugging silhouettes — which, all together, constitute a sort of “universal flag” for “The United States of Cavalli,” the designer writes, in a statement, “wrapping together citizens of all cultures – empowered, free, fierce.”

Speaking with Business of Fashion, the designer said of his vision for the brand: “Cavalli was connected to flamboyant sexiness. Of course, times have changed. Cavalli DNA is about beauty, about parties, about energy. I want to say: How can I translate this brand for nowadays?”

Even as much of the world continues to gravitate towards comfort (preferably of the sweatpants variety) and easy pieces no one really gets to see, Puglisi is betting on a return to loud, statement-making fashion. “In times of change, Cavalli’s voice wants to sound exciting, defiant, daring,” the press release for Season Zero reads. “A canvas open to new possibilities, welcoming a future of confidence and conviction.”

See Puglisi’s debut collection for Roberto Cavalli in the gallery, below.