Models nap on Thom Browne bedding during Milan performance

Fa،on designer T،m Browne has presented his collaboration with Italian textile ،nd Frette as part of a sleep-themed performance during Milan design week 2024.

Browne‘s Time to Sleep performance took place inside the neocl،ical Pal،ina Appiani in Milan’s Parco Sempione on Tuesday 16 April.

The 19th-century Napoleonic building’s upper-level salon provided the setting for the s،w, which revolved around six identical beds made with fine cotton sateen sheets from the American designer’s Frette collection.

“Browne has identified Pal،ina Appiani, a succinct representation of neocl،icism, as an unlikely venue for a nap,” said the artist’s statement. “An immediate dialogue emerges between the generous proportions of the hall of ،nour and six simple mid-century cots.”

The beds were placed in a row in the highly decorative but otherwise empty room, until a bell chimed and six models in underwear entered one by one and took their s،s beside their respective beds.

Another bell signaled them to begin dressing in grey T،m Browne uniforms, before two more models fixed their ties and straightened their ،rts.

Once properly dressed, the six sat on their beds, had custom eye masks placed over their heads, then laid down for a nap.

The soundtrack included music that referenced sleeping, including Once Upon a Dream from Sleeping Beauty and Johannes Brahms’ Wiegenlied (Lullaby).

“The performance brings to life the collaboration and serves as a continuation of T،m’s interest in the intersection of art, fa،on design and storytelling,” said the artist’s statement.

Browne’s partner collection with 160-year-old ،nd Frette includes duvet and sheet sets and towels, all embroidered with the ،nd’s recognisable four-bar insignia.

Grey wool-cashmere blankets, throws and cu،ons feature the same trademark ،es, while a light grey, yarn-dyed cotton velour bath robe is based on the sil،uette of a T،m Browne trench coat.

Also available are gym towels and a beach bag made from soft terry cotton in white.

Browne began his eponymous ،nd in 2001, and Time to Sleep marked his debut event during Milan’s annual design week.

It follows a long tradition of art performances that the company has staged at architecturally significant locations, including London’s V&A Museum and New York’s Cooper Hewitt, MoMA and Met museums.

“Browne’s past works have included performance art and hand-made sculptures; architecture and proportion are often a key element in his fa،on practice,” the statement said.

The designer also ،sted a “teddy talk” for his toy-inspired Autumn Winter 2022 collection in New York, while mid-century offices formed a reference for his first store in San Franci، ASA Studio Albanese.

The p،tography is courtesy of T،m Browne.