MILAN, Italy — There were a series of Milanese winks in the MSGM collection shown on Sunday that to non-Milanese onlookers may have gone completely unnoticed. For a start the show was held in a corporate office block in front of Milan's monument to Alessandro Manzoni, the 19th century writer, author of the uber-classic "I Promessi Sposi" (The Betrothed). Manzoni's mottos and face were given a punky makeover and printed onto t-shirts and sweatshirts. Giorgetti also collaborated with Milanese landmarks such as the bars Pravda, Bar Basso and Cucchi, transforming their signs into prints and jacquards splashed onto knitwear and scarves, advertising-style. It made for a funny, impactful effect that came with a reassuring blend of local pride and global outlook.

Backstage Giorgetti was radiant. He recently sold a minority stake in his high-performing brand to Italian private equity fund Style Capital. The moment drove Giorgetti to deliver a remix of what defines MSGM, which basically is colour, ease and a metropolitan spirit. This time around, it was particularly metropolitan, with massive sneakers, graphic tracksuits and patent surfaces. The Milan homage was a smart move: Giorgetti aims to create a genuine sense of belonging to his gang. He can. He just needs to brush off the too-evident nods to other labels of the moment, Off-White and Balenciaga in particular. To adapt his very own motto: never look around, it's all ahead.