"In Alto Mare/On the High Seas", ART259DESIGN Fall-Winter 2025-2026 collection.

The FW25/26 collection by art259design was developed in response to a sense of disorientation and a context of uncertainty.

The designer, Alberto Affinito, allowed himself to drift involuntarily into a semantic flow where ideas, suggestions and stimuli converged.

Water ebbs and flows through him, dissolving a long-settled accumulation made compact by excessive external stimuli, and causing the images and sketches from his degree collection to resurface.

These images focused on the figures of a freshwater man and a saltwater man, and the latter figure led the designer to rework fishing clothing, with its volumes and structures, proposing a workwear in bull drill with a tailored cut.

This workwear features masculine volumes that are romanticised on the female body. The austere lines are softened by rows of pouch pockets that perimeter outerwear, waistcoats, jumpsuits and trousers, allowing functionality and minimalism to coexist.

A proposal in water-repellent nylon drapes the body, creating a cozy, muffled silhouette.

Gauze reinterprets the fishing net left in the sun to dry, with the fabric being wrung out, curled, and cut into linear shapes.

This results in impalpable garments that adapt to the body delicately, wrapping it in a chaos contained in the candid shade of white.

Alberto Affinito also investigates the element of salt water, searching for sensorial textures in the fabric and the possibility of transferring its capillarity onto the garments.

The wool ribbed collection features suits and bodysuits with a second skin effect, while dresses and trousers are designed to create organic volumes that flow along the body, generating relaxed proportions.

Tubular elements flow out irregularly, reminiscent of numerous pots placed offshore full of fish, creating a fluid and irregular silhouette.

The movement of the body results in a kinetic propagation that is reflected on the garments, generating a sense of fluctuation in the eye of the beholder.

Water is also a key element in the research and development of textures.

The long-pile corduroy fabric, for instance, has been designed to simulate fish scales, transforming the wearer into a chimerical creature dressed in unstructured tailored suits with a minimal cut.

The jacquard fabric has been inspired by the drops on the shoreline where the waves break and return to the sea.

Sharp suits, dry bomber jackets and over jackets are designed to come into contact with the body, illuminating it thanks to the relief of the weave.

Art259design continues its internal policy of zero waste by implementing a total recovery of the stock of an old kids' knitwear line that had remained unused for too long.

Following the prototype deemed unacceptable, the designer decided to take personal action. In an act of decontextualisation, Alberto Affinito assembles and mixes, obtaining solutions characterised by worked wools twisted in a warm and enveloping sculptural act.

These knits feature hybrid shapes that allow for a range of wearing options in everyday situations.

The collection includes long skirts that can also be worn as dresses, with tails that end in an irregular manner.

The collection features reissued items from the previous winter season, including an hourglass jacket characterised by the insertion of more than 20 darts at the waist, and reissued trousers with a series of cuts that create a crumpled, rough texture reminiscent of saltiness.

These items have been edited to offer a fresh perspective on garments with a proven fit.

The Fall Winter 2025/26 collection by art259design explores functional volumes and shapes, reinterpreted with textures reminiscent of the sea and oversized exaggerations to create muffled uniforms that romantically envelop the body of the wearer.

Alberto Affinito, Founder and creative director of art259design

Discover more at https://www.art259design.com/