Gareth Pugh, the designer on many a luxury houses “ones-to-watch” list, made his debut at Italy’s Pitti Uomo with a beautiful fashion film. The film, created by Ruth Hogben, captures the intensity and sense of drama that this young designer has already mastered. After following Pugh’s career over the past several years and seeing the fashion film he showed at the last Paris Fashion Week, the directors at Pitti invited him to show there. Pitti is known for it’s openness to experimentation and the mixing of art with fashion. The 10 minute film merges religious iconography and futuristic imagery to create a spell-binding experience.The garments are sharply angular or flowing and billow in the wind. The final scene is a group of still figures all in white, which then multiple and fill in screen, like a digitally-enhanced version of a renaissance statue. Pugh’s sense of showmanship is apparent, but seeing garments worn by models at the film’s presentation proved to many how wearable and desirable his clothing is outside of a fashion spectacle.

We last showed you the collaborative jean made by Dutch denim experts, Tenue de Nîmes and the Bay Area’s Tellason. Next up for Tenue de Nîmes is the construction of a striking and sleek Danish fisher knit. For this piece Tenue de Nîmes enlisted the help of Denmark’s Anderson and Anderson to construct this sweater from 100% pure New Wool.  Each piece proclaims perfect symmetry in the knitting and features a thick turtleneck and a Dutch flag embroidery on the cuff. Just above the red, white, and blue stripes is the individual numbering of each sweater. If you live in Europe, consider yourself fortunate, as this piece is available only at the Tenue de Nîmes shop, and if you think you may want one, there are only 24 of these available, so get to clicking if you want yours.

Liberty of London, famed for their prints and their iconic flagship store on London’s Carnaby Street, presented their Fall/Winter 2011 collection at Pitti Uomo this week. The collection is designed by Liberty’s Marco Sartoretti and and produced by Italy’s Slowear. The British brand is widely known for their colorful floral prints, and this collection does a great job of combining their mastery of prints and British heritage to create a unique and masculine look. Sartoretti combined Savile Row-style tailoring, merino knitwear and Eastern-inspired garments to create a worldly and eclectic, but unfussy, look. Harem pants are styled with a traditional blazer and one of the printed scarves Liberty is famous for. Another option is a shearling-trimmed coat worn with slim-cut, cropped pants in a checkerboard pattern. One of the most well-received pieces in the collection was a sporty nylon parka in a striking blue marble print. via: WWD

We last showed you a Stone Island video of Carlo Rivetti’s tour of the Italian manufacturing and research facility. Stone Island’s reputation for uncomprimising materials and finely-executed details is again cemented with some selections of this SS 11 collection, which includes the brand’s signature attention to the dying and finishing of garments. Stone Island garments are dyed and given unique finishes in-house, and the results are staggering. One example of a garment with a unique finish is one outerwear garment wich has a nylon monofilament mesh meant to resemble the metallic sheen of a sports car. Other fabrics are more muted or subdued, depending on the “recipe” for the garment dying that the designers apply. The collection is divided into two categories, according to the two-pronged philosophy of the company–LAB and LIFE . Predictably, the LAB approach looks into the aforementioned focus on materials and treatments, while the LIFE branch looks to make the garments usable and distinct. Check the video to get a look at the extensive collection and see the emphasis on quality for yourself.

Two American icons–Carhartt and Vans have joined forces to produce a very limited series of the Authentic model. The two brands last collaborated on a half-cab model in 2008, and this time they tackle a timeless model together. For the skateboard shoe historians, the Authentic was designed in 1996, and it was the first lace up sneaker designed expressly for skateboarding, and the aesthetic rings true as a understated, streamlined shoe. With an upper of tough ripstop fabric and suede on the toe and heel, the shoe is meant to take some abuse while looking slick. With references to the original Carhartt colors–Black, Cypress, and Wall–the shoes each feature a bright orange outsole. These will only be available at selected Vans and Carhartt retailers at shops across the EU.

Danish label Soulland has just released it’s Autumn/Winter 2011 lookbook, inspired by the American Civil War. Designer Silas Adler was inspired by soldiers’ portraits and the sense of honer and dignity they had. This feeling is conveyed in the lookbook through the use of sepia-toned images and U.S. flags used as backdrops throughout. Adler studied the uniforms and flags of these 19th-century soldiers and reinterpreted them into modern menswear, paying special attention to the pockets and collars. This type of inspiration could easily lead to a costume-y or antique-feeling collection, but Adler’s garments are modern and clean. The blazers and pea coats have small collars that are reminiscent of Civil War-era uniforms, but they have a slim cut and minimal embellishment. Details include a high collar that buttons closed and patch pockets. For the real patriot, there is even a a short-sleeved cardigan in a patchwork of stars and stripes. Adler will be presenting this collection at the Capsule Tradeshow in Paris.