At Mertl & Valente, our work is profoundly shaped by personal experiences, art, and the turbulent world around us. The Miles Away collection reflects these influences, weaving allegories of life and death, war and peace, presence and absence—elements that feel more relevant than ever today. Living in the 2020s, amidst the pandemic and wars raging in Europe and the Middle East, I couldn’t help but feel like history was repeating itself. For us, fashion is a medium to express these complex emotions, much like the Italian Renaissance masters who hid political and personal messages in their art.
The title Miles Away is inspired by Madonna’s song, which speaks of distant love; it also represents physical and emotional distance—between privilege and suffering, between the safety of Europe and the struggles of those seeking refuge. Living in Prague, we are acutely aware of this distance. Wars and crises may seem far away, but they’re closer than we think. This collection speaks to that silent echo of something happening miles away but felt deeply within.
One of the key pieces is a cashmere skirt embroidered with the image of a giant baby. This design was inspired by Ron Mueck’s sculpture ‘A Girl’, a monumental newborn. We reimagined the baby, placing it in a forest I drew from a romantic painting, creating a dreamlike, surreal scene. The baby could symbolise birth or death; a reflection of the children lost at sea while fleeing war. David Černý’s eerie baby sculptures, which scatter the landscape of Prague, also influenced this design, merging the real with the surreal.
The second cashmere skirt features a Madonna and Child, with the Madonna’s face traced from a 13th-century wood sculpture from a Prague monastery, yet altered to include our signature style. I redrew her features from memory, adding the iconic sad panda eyes and aquiline nose of Mina Mazzini, a constant source of inspiration for me. Both figures are symbols of sacrifice and survival, but they also carry a personal allegory for me, blending tradition with modern reinterpretation.
In this illustration, we added an allegory of a woman escaping war by sea; with the Madonna symbolising any mother trying to protect her child from danger. The background shows a river, and in the distance, a war tank points its cannon at the crown of the Madonna—an unsettling juxtaposition of peace and violence. The camouflage-patterned clouds and ruins behind echo the military theme, while the tank serves as a stark reminder of the conflict lurking even in moments of tenderness. This blending of elements symbolises the constant tension between safety and peril, especially for those seeking refuge.
The vest worn by Jesus is adorned with embroidered poppies—a symbol of sacrifice, particularly in Europe after the First World War. The flowers are drawn as a stylised egg being fertilised by sperm, yet another cycle of life and death allegory. The poppy embroidery also appears on our organic cotton t-shirts and wool skirts, creating a narrative thread throughout the collection.
Military influences are another key element in Miles Away, with bomber jackets, heavy skirts, and trousers crafted from military-grade merino wool sourced from a UK manufacturer that supplies the British Army. These garments combine masculine and feminine elements, emphasising the balance of strength and vulnerability. Our trousers, designed with an openable front flap inspired by 14th-century military uniforms, embody this balance while also hinting at gender-fluid style.
The Miles Away collection reflects our times and aims to spark conversation through fashion. Each piece tells a story, inviting our customers to connect with the complex emotions and realities of the world around us.
Giorgio Valente
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