CANAKU Fall Winter 2023 – 2024 at Milan Men’s Fashion Week

Dear Jurgen,

I am writing to update you on the journey. The Canaku Fall Winter 2023 – 2024 collection starts as always from my story, my origins, in short a personal thing. I couldn’t help but think about how important the work I do is, creative but also production work, how powerful our view of creativity is and how this is seen by those around us. You know, I’m from the South, and with a foreign name I introduce myself to others as the crazy person. I always feel like I have to justify the choices in dressing and show up as I am. However, this made me realize how important it is to express myself through garments, through the image one shows of oneself.

I took the typical Albanian costume worn by the warriors of my land and developed the whole collection from there. I turned them into ÇANAKU uniforms, after all, what we choose to wear becomes what most represents us, just our uniform. In the typical costume of Albania, that of the soldiers, one of the items that defines it is a skirt. A skirt! In this case there is no gender attribution but it is precisely an element that so many warriors have used over time, from Roman legionaries to Scottish knights with their kilts. See, even the toughest people wore skirts, and that makes you realize how in history and on the streets today there is no such thing as a dress code. I even printed it on the garments! “no dress code” is the new claim of the collection.

So, this is it: I transformed a warrior’s uniform, designed the dagger element in the form of a print on shirts, gave a new freedom of expression to sailor uniforms, inserted details with coordinate numbers representing the journey of humanity in the world – as a personal extension of my personal journey, of what belongs to me. A journey that turns into garments, with elements taken from skirts applied to pants, horizontal and vertical satin sashes, printed silk or cotton shirts, and finally a romantic part with roses applied on shirts, details on gloves and ties.

For the new ÇANAKU collection I thought of a contemporary hero with the values of kindness and romance that with me, you know, can never be lacking.

Always yours

Canaku

About CANAKU

ÇANAKU is the menswear brand born from the refined and uncompromising aesthetics of Jurgen Çanaku, Albanian by birth and a lifelong Italian, with experience as a buyer in fashion and clear ideas about contemporary men’s elegance.

The collections are produced in Italy following the codified rules of classic Neapolitan tailoring but with a retro twist and defined details. The collection focuses on formal men’s clothing and outerwear and is complemented by shirts, merino and cashmere wool-blend knitwear, eccentric accessories, and a capsule collection of footwear with a strong imprint.

Since its first season ÇANAKU has struck the imagination of stylists and costume designers to dress artists and performers such as Irama, Ghemon, Annalisa, and Maneskin.

All images CANAKU Fall Winter 2023 – 2024 by ÇANAKU

PR Agency – Next Agency Milan