These Puffer Coats Are So Pretty, They'll Make You Want a Snow Day

One year after Moncler invited a handful of creative minds to design coats for its Genius project, the Italian outerwear brand has brought two new talents into the fold: Richard Quinn and Matthew Williams of 1017 ALYX 9SM. Both presented their first collections for the brand at Moncler’s event on Wednesday night in Milan, alongside Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, Simone Rocha, Craig Green, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Palm Angels, and Poldo Dog Couture.

Yes, dog couture.

It’s hard to pick a standout when talking about enormous, colorful puffer coats — not to mention puppies in puffer coats — but Quinn and Williams each made their own distinctive mark. Quinn is a British designer known for his loud prints inspired by the ’50s and ’60s, focusing on florals this time around. Williams, meanwhile, looks ahead, with tactical gear for surviving the modern age.

Once again, though, Mr. Piccioli stole the show, inviting model–designer Liya Kebede to collaborate this season on patterns that recall African textiles (Kebede is an active supporter of African artisans with her label Lemlem). “I was honored to be a part of this creative process, bringing together heritages that at first glimpse seemed so different but when unexpectedly combined, create something so rich and new, redefining beauty and reminding us that there are no borders in life,” said Kebede in a statement. And on Instagram, Piccioli shared a quote from Barack Obama about the virtues of actively working for change, rather than waiting for it to come on its own — a statement that felt resonant in the wake of so many recent Italian fashion controversies.

See highlights from the Moncler Genius collaborations below.