Luca Magliano is a designer known for his playful subversions of masculinity. His collections are a celebration of queer identity – and he’s never been one to celebrate quietly. There was the popular “I Love Gay Porn” t-shirt, leather “dick” belts made in collaboration with Dsquared2, as well as handbags decorated with pairs of boxers. There’s been leather hotpants and “butch” jeans, and the Magliano website even leads to an X-rated porn site (where his “Cormagliano” collaboration film lives).

There’s an air of mischief throughout all of Magliano’s collections, though his AW26 menswear show was less cheeky than usual. For the best part of a decade, the Bologna-born designer has shown during Milan’s menswear shows, but this season he jumped ship for the first time – making his debut in the French capital. To mark the occasion, Magliano put on a solemn, brooding show that was far more Parisian in attitude than it was Milanese.

Models slumped down the runway to the sound of live whistling, performed by Elena Somarè. They looked longingly into the distance, while dressed in slouchy tailoring and 80s silhouettes. It was an ode to what Magliano does best: classic staples that are undone or reconstructed through a queer lens, inspired by sleepy provincial towns. Though it was a collection less flirty than what we’re used to, it was still a Magliano collection, and therefore, inherently horny. Following his Paris Fashion Week debut, we catch up with the designer below.

Hey Luca! Congratulations on your Paris Fashion Week debut. Why did you decide to switch Milan for Paris this season?

Luca Magliano: I think we did it for a pure sense of adventure, and a desire for fresh air.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the new collection?

Luca Magliano: For us, this season was an occasion to reflect about the beloved elegance of the provincia (the outskirts) without making it geographic. An essential yet chaotic anthology of our work so far, an unplugged and intimate approach to a new audience.

How would you describe it?

Luca Magliano: Humid, effortless, classic, agitated, romantic, horny, languid.

Who was on the mood board?

Luca Magliano: Our mood boards are messy and pretty crowded, but Walter Albini, Jean Genet and Beth Gibbons were the ones that led.

Do you design with one person in mind, or many?

Luca Magliano: It’s for those people who love classics but are also triggered by them and need them twisted.

Why is it important to you to showcase queerness throughout your work? 

Luca Magliano: Because celebrating it is a cure, it’s like putting the rage in a good place.

Is there a story behind the ‘I Love Gay Porn’ t-shirt?

Luca Magliano: Who doesn’t love gay porn?

Looking back on the past decade of your brand, what have been the biggest challenges?

Luca Magliano: Apart from the financial ones – those were the most ugly – I think the biggest challenge was never changing paths and remaining loyal to myself.

What’s one thing that you haven’t yet achieved that you’d like to?

Luca Magliano: A Magliano flagship store in Miami.

As a menswear designer, what are five things that should be in every man’s wardrobe?

Luca Magliano: White socks, a white ribbed tank top, a white henley shirt, a pair of old blue jeans and a huge itchy sartorial suit.

Finally, if you could cast anyone to walk in your show, who would it be?

Luca Magliano: Virginie Despentes (if you’re reading this…).