A cultural wanderer, jack of many trades and all-around mover ‘n shaker, Marcelo Burlon’s oeuvre, from styling to photography and film-maker, from clubbing to art direction, is an endlessly morphing monument to the power of contamination. It comes to no surprise for this wunderkind who arrived in Italy from Patagonia and took over Milan to conquer the world.
A line of tees is Marcelo’s latest venture. The t-shirt: clothing at its most basic and effective. The wearable equivalent of a blank canvas: a playground, a declaration of intents; a political manifesto, even. Marcelo uses t-shirts as a launch-pad for his multi-culti vision centered around the idea of self-determination as revolutionary tool. Drawing iconographic elements from different cultures – Mapuches crosses from Patagonia, Argentinean birds feathers, esoteric symbols, nods to rave and club culture, plus muse Lea T as an icon of reinvention – Marcelo creates his very own symbology. Printed on black tees and developed by graphic designer Giorgio Di Salvo, motifs have a kaleidoscopic quality: visually arresting and bold, they keep you guessing “Is this a symbol I know? A graphic from an album sleeve? An alchemic element? Folk?”. Maybe they are all of the above, maybe not. Marcelo invites you to use your imagination to fill the gaps.
Angelo Flaccavento.
