Revisiting m_moria
June 20th, 2024
Text: Bryan Law
Text: Bryan Law
As I search diligently for year round footwear options off the beaten path - I come across a forgotten brand that I had once obsessed over.
During my ascension (or descension) into the depths of menswear hell, a name appeared every so often - Maurizio Altieri. Heralded by many fashion purists as the godfather of a new wave of avant-garde clothing brewing in Europe, Maurizio was the mastermind behind Carpe Diem - a label established in 1996 focusing on extremely high-quality leather footwear, made to measure garments, and ready to wear jackets, trousers, and t-shirts. What separated them from the usual run of the mill trend cycle was their approach to fabric treatment and innovative cuts. Think jackets made of horse leather buried and aged in soil or curved seam, garment-dyed trousers.
Source: Style Zeitgeist
After the brand shuttered in around 2006, it’s designers (four Italian dudes) went off and started their own brands - MA+, Label Under Construction, A1923, and of course m_moria. I don’t really feel like talking about each brand so I’ll just focus on m_moria - although MA+ does have a special place in my heart.
A Personal History
My first encounter with the brand was back in the spring months of 2016, at a lovely boutique then called Hostem, now Blue Mountain School in London. At the time, they were housed in a temporary space in Shoreditch while their multi-storey space was being renovated. I got to talking with the manager there, Alex. My current interests at the time were strictly in the avant-garde space. That meant lots of Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme, Casey Casey, Carol Christian Poell, Paul Harnden, vintage Comme, and the aforementioned MA+. Appropriate footwear in order to achieve optimal pant-to-footwear interaction for these garments meant mostly hard bottomed shoes from the likes of Layer-0, Guidi, and brands of that ilk.
My obsession with the avant garde scene stemmed from my desire to not look like the average jabroni. As I delved deeper and deeper into these brands and their product offerings, I became fascinated by their almost bizarre approach making clothes. I dove headfirst into forums like Style Zeitgeist looking through hundreds and hundreds of pages of discussion and fit pics.
Back to m_moria, as I was browsing the temporary yet impeccably curated space of Hostem - I spotted out of the corner of my eye a pair of lace up boots in what appeared to be of extremely sturdy make. I picked them up. The last used to make these boots must have been molded from the foot of an ancient Greek olympian - strong, sturdy, balanced. Relatively lightweight, extremely high quality cordovan constructed upon an equally impressive leather outsole. Looking back, this made John Lobb look like a pair of Vans! No disrespect to Lobb, of course. The laces were also tastefully chosen to be a criss cross knit green and black, an interesting but welcome choice that serves to alleviate the shoes from being too archaic and/or stuffy.
I had to know who was behind these shoes. I asked Alex, ahem, who made these? My man said, Maurizio Altieri of m_moria. I wrote the name down and went back home to do my Googles. Thus started my obsession with something I couldn’t attain, a pair of almost €2200 (in 2016, pre-inflation) shoes.
A - B - C
With m_moria, Maurizio set off on an obsessive quest to establish his POV of the past, present, and future of footwear. He segregated his designs into three categories made from three different lasts, A (the past), B (the present), and C (the future).
Source: hide[m]
With A, Altieri revisits the potential that already exists in the past, but not by merely paying a nostalgic or romantic homage to it - because who hasn’t done that? Instead, he focuses on the values and techniques that tradition holds. By honoring the craft and aesthetics of utilitarian footwear, he lets 'A' continue a forgotten era. He cherishes what has been passed down through the years, but also transforms it to make it part of his own heritage.
Source: Ink Clothing
B meditates upon familiar shapes and ideas found in contemporary style. Through careful extraction, Altieri deflects the lineage of contemporary footwear and produces a coherent and streamlined representation. So basically, he takes your favorite shoe - whether its your lace up derby or a loafer, and makes them better, more streamlined, with an insane level of craft and attention to detail.
Now C is where it gets interesting.
Source: SOME/THINGS
Back in 2016, I was obsessed with A. Its classical shapes, slightly upturned toe, contrast lacing, and wonderfully tanned leather with deep dark hues that turned green or blue in certain lighting was a perfect companion to my goth-leaning farmer-core personal style at the time. But now, as my tastes have changed and my personal style - ever so personal, I find myself revisiting C with curiosity and contemplation.
C looks forward and is inconclusive, as Maurizio describes. A lower heel accompanied with a complex “infinite loop” lacing system and a sleek, anatomically accommodating silhouette that slightly resembles a pair of Adidas driving sneakers you could have found in the late 90’s. Its sole is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, mimicking the base of your heel and ball of your feet and made of coconut rubber. An offshoot of Norwegian storm welting binds the upper and sole together.
Other Endeavors
Footwear isn’t the only pursuit of Maurizio’s. Briefly in the years 2017 - 2019, Maurizio was touring the world, exhibiting a denim project of his. If I recall correctly, the concept was constructing an entire garment from one piece of fabric, no unnecessary cuts or seams - everything optimized to move with the body. I recall an eery, waxy sculpture that accompanied him during the show, it slightly resembled a pair of legs. Safe to say, bro was on one.
Now I have heard rumors that Maurizio has run into some financial troubles. Sometimes a cult following just isn’t enough and a perfectionist like Maurizio undoubtedly would burn right through any sort of monetary funding he receives in the pursuit of sartorial ecstasy. Maybe such is the price of impeccable product.