Moncler’s Genius Project capsule drop has redefined everything a puffer coat can be

Winter’s almost over, but Moncler's massive eight-part capsule drop for their Genius Project is making me wish it would last a little longer (I can’t believe it either). The Italian apparel line opened Milan Fashion Week, showing eight capsules from eight different designers that showcase some of the most inventive takes on outerwear out there. Puffer coats are often one of the hardest sartorial pieces to style since their literal purpose is to fully shield you from any and all elements, but the genius of Moncler is in the brand's willingness to allow multiple re-imaginings for what we readily take as the truth.

Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli paired his A-line puffer gowns with caplets and long gloves — a trend that popped up across NYFW shows — while Simone Rocha's collection evoked pure, dreamy romance. 1952, Milan-based brand with West Coast aspirations Palm Angels, British designer Craig Green, Kei Ninomiya, Fragment Hiroshi Fujiwara, and Grenoble also released capsule collections that redeemed winter as a season.

"[The Genius Project] is, for Moncler, a new strategy that will sign a new era for the brand, a sort of genuine evolution, a bold leap forward marking the brand's future," said Moncler CEO Remo Ruffini to GQ. "In my view, the evolution of the brand is still the biggest challenge while being able to respect and maintain the integrity of the Moncler DNA, and involving different creative minds, for me, stands for interpreting it with the aim of hitting Moncler's wide audience of customers."

Ruffini's statement is indicative of a rising trend that Moncler and other design houses are steadily adopting: being unafraid to shake up existing structures of power with new designers who aren’t necessarily holding a permanent seat as creative director. And by the wide range of looks birthed from the Genius Project, it's working.

See stand-out photos and videos from the event below.