Ever thought about wearing a pool floatie as a hat? Jeremy Scott, Creative Director of Moschino designed the Spring/Summer 2023 collection, consisting of floaties, bright textiles, and more.

Moschino is an Italian designer brand best known for making light of fashion, solidifying their image as one of the most popular lines of the camp style. Along with their bright and fun patterns, they have attracted an audience by making light of dark themes such as misogyny, the wealth divide, the great depression, and the recession. 

Moschino models strut the runway wearing lifeguard floats on their heads. Critics were quick to dismiss their actions as being ridiculous or just weird, but they overlooked the purpose of the collection. The pool floats served as a metaphor emphasizing the attitudes society embodies due to the current economic crisis. By making floaties part of an outfit, Moschino emphasizes the way people can only depend on themselves during these economically turbulent times. With the stock market sinking and the recession attributed to covid, Americans, especially those belonging to the lower/middle class have been left to fend for themselves.

Pool floaties prevent people from drowning, something people cling to in times of need. This summer collection is not just a few eye-catching inflatable dresses for shock value, but a representation of how people are reacting now that they have no one to depend on. The stock market is predicted to tank another 40%, and with this lack of stability comes a lack of trust. Now, people can only depend on themselves and their money by saving and bottling it up as much as possible, attempting to keep themselves from ruin during this financial upheaval.

As the stock market descends, Moschino continues to embody the financial struggles faced by the middle class. This collection may portray many different colors and patterns, but lying underneath it is a bigger theme expressing the stress and financial frustration the working class is experiencing, and will continue to experience as the stock market continues to sink.