As part of Moncler’s groundbreaking Genius Project, stylist Pierpaolo Piccioli fused lemlem’s signature colors and designs with the functionality of Moncler. Piccioli’s bold silhouettes celebrate the beauty of movement and African craft through the usage of nylon laqué as the collection’s material of choice.

“I am after a balance of dreaminess, extravagance, and soulfulness,” Piccioli says. “I involved Liya Kebede, who is an active supporter of African artisans with her label lemlem, in the process, creating something true to her, to Moncler and to my own sensibility. Connecting diversities is my idea of inclusive creativity.”

The collection expands upon time-honored traditional African patterns and textiles and delivers them in a contemporary fashion distinct to Moncler. The Italian stylist and Kebede merged together different heritage and envisioned ballgowns with trains, hooded jackets, and sculptural capes that envelop the body. The fresh and unexpected looks blend couture forms with typical Moncler nylon renders.

Model and lemlem founder Liya Kebede commented on this showstopping capsule: “There is no better way to show how time-honored traditions, like our lemlem artisans’ work, have a place in modern fashion than this partnership, bringing together heritages that at first glimpse seemed so different but when unexpectedly combined, create something so rich and new, redefining beauty”

The collection is available from January 20 in Moncler boutiques, the Moncler site, and selected stores worldwide. See some of the pieces in the gallery below.