Matteo Tamburini On His Vision For Tod’s, And How He Plans To Explore The Essence Of The Brand

In a cavernous train depot, set against a backdrop of streetcars painted in bright marigold and rows of industrial lights, models strode out in a wardrobe of clean, sober tailoring, draped silhouettes with belt buckles resembling vintage car grilles, sculptural knits and polished leather separates.

The colours reflected the clean, industrialist feeling of the space—slate blues, mahogany, pewter grey, blacks and pops of bright raspberry hues. Bags this season came in the shape of a roomy tote or a structured top-handle purse.

Related article: BAZAAR Showcase: Behind The Scenes Of Tod’s Latest Project, ‘The Art Of Craftsmanship’

This is a Tod’s collection, after all—a global brand known for its signature approach to interpreting the mythic ethos of Italian elegance. With over 100 years of rich history, Tod’s has found the sweet spot in balancing fashion’s industrialist nature with a respect for beauty and refinement, and bringing this appreciation for Italian sprezzatura beyond Italy.

Back in Milan, and at the centre of the flurry of the fall/winter 2024 show, is Matteo Tamburini.

Announced last December as the new creative director at Tod’s, this was his first show with the brand and Tamburini wanted this to be his love letter to Milan.

“The main inspiration for the collection stemmed from the city of Milan, and the duality of the city,” he tells BAZAAR Singapore. “We wanted to translate the urban dynamism of the city, and we sought to blend the formal with the bourgeois. These outfits were looks that you could actually see walking in the streets of Milan.”

He also checked off a list of reference points, including the Pirelli Building designed by Gio Ponti, Umberto Boccioni’s sculptures, as well as photographs of celeb street style from the Nineties featuring Kim Basinger, Uma Thurman and Lady Diana in a long camel coat with white sneakers out in London. “Each of these references were chosen to translate this duality, and it’s something that I believe is key to the city of Milan,” Tamburini explains.

Related article: At Milan Fashion Week, Shaking Off The Past And A Sense Of Propriety

Tamburini seems to dwell on the idea of duality a lot. Earlier in our call, the charismatic Italian creative director spoke extensively about exploring the juxtaposition between tradition and modernity. This is a brand with a century’s worth of legacy to show for, yet Tod’s never rests on its cushy reputation. Rather, they look ahead, bringing modern ideas and employing new tools to deepen the relationship between brand and buyer.

Take, for example, the recently rolled-out Tod’s Passport, which allows you to develop a greater appreciation for your Di Bag. The blockchain-powered product lets you learn about the origins of your bag, from raw material to production to the finished piece that you’ve picked out from the store. The commitment to handcrafted design par excellence hasn’t changed, but you’re now able to gain greater insight to what makes your bag special, thanks to the introduction of new technology.

“I like this idea of dedicating time to what you do, especially in this fast-paced industry,” Tamburini muses. “I find that this is the new code of luxury. Obviously it’s difficult because fashion moves so quickly, but I want to reflect this commitment to taking our time in everything that we do.”When asked about how he balances this slower pace with fashion’s breakneck speed, Tamburini points out that in essence, he wants to create less but better.

“This allows me to be more focused in what I do, and also gives me more time to develop the products. I’m not trying to create thousands of products in each collection,” he says. “And in general, Italy represents this combination of tradition and modernity. We have the ability to interpret and innovate, mix creativity and quality at the same time. I think this approach is quite key to Tod’s and I would like to keep on this exploration going forward.”

Taking time isn’t the only thing that Tamburini aims to do differently. In an age fuelled by social media engagements, designers are increasingly pressured to create sensational, clickbait-prone moments in their fashion shows. Our attention spans have shortened so much that to capture our consciousness is to create a viral, “more is more” moment. With Tamburini and team, they’ve gone in the opposite direction.

“I am a pragmatic person, and I want my designs to reflect this ‘straight to the point’ approach,” he tells us. At the start of his tenure, Tamburini spoke with his design team to collectively shape the future of the brand. Their goal? To bring Tod’s to a place where it’s seen as an essential part of the fabric of Italian fashion.

“We want to explore the essence of what Tod’s actually represents today, and in trying to distil this essence, we were led to the idea of subtraction rather than addition,” mused Tamburini. “You need to strip down to build up again, and I think that this explains the general feeling of the show. It’s sharper compared to what audiences are used to.”

Related article: All The Asian Stars Who Attended Men’s Spring/Summer 2025 Fashion Week

This pared-back approach seems to be a promising start for the brand. Already, the fall/winter 2024 collection presents a wardrobe that’s sleeker, smarter and crafted for the women with on-the-go lives. These are clothes that you can wear every day, all the time. Slim-fitted trousers, louche utilitarian outerwear, buttery leather pencil dresses and body-skimming drapery carried a contemporary elegance that would appeal to the power crowds that favour a timeless, frills-free aesthetic. These pieces speak to Tamburini’s Tod’s muse, who in his imagination, is a person that “moves through the world with grace and ease, and appreciates style over passing fads”.

It’s also in this vein that Tamburini wants to continue building upon for the future of Tod’s. Looking into his plans and goals for his new creative home, Tamburini says that he is focused on creating a clear and recognisable language that can be translated into all the different facets of the brand.

“We want to make Tod’s vocabulary globally recognisable, and bring clarity to what we want to talk about and who we are as an Italian brand,” he explains to us when we ask about what he has planned for the future. “I think when you design something that is sophisticated and elegant, it speaks to everyone. Elegance is a global language.”