Moncler celebrates its 70th anniversary with a big performance in Milan

MILAN - Moncler's takeover of Milan's famous Piazza del Duomo was quite the spectacle Saturday night.

The symbolic and unprecedented event marking the brand's 70th anniversary kicked off the a 70-day program of global celebrations.

The show was opened by the star dancer of Teatro alla Scala di Milano Virna Toppi and included 1,952 artists—representing the year Moncler was founded—all wearing a white Moncler Maya 70 jacket.

The show was orchestrated by choreographer Sadeck Berrabah (Sadeck Waff) and the artists sang and danced on the square with a highly visual and physical performance that explored the power of repetition.

"Last night in Piazza del Duomo I witnessed the perfect portrait of the future of Moncler," said Chief Executive Officer Remo Ruffini. "Tradition and innovation, cornerstones of the brand, have been united by the iconic Maya jacket - a design that continues to evolve in style and materials, thus always remaining contemporary. We have seen the vigor in the execution and singularity of an unprecedented show exploring new territories in dance. There was a surge of emotion as we lived this experience together, and this moment was shared across the world via digital channels. And Finally, what I am most proud of is that we have come together across generations and felt the strong energy coming from our communities. It is with them that we want to build our next 70 years. At Moncler, we let's dream together, not alone.”

Ruffini has long touted the importance of connecting and engaging communities and the event was open to the public, who flocked to the square despite the rain. Spectators totaled a maximum capacity of 18,000, watching the show from the main square, as well as from the surrounding balconies and terraces.

The cast included 700 dancers, 200 musicians, 100 choir members and 952 models and the performance included a backing vocalist, who began singing a capella when Toppi appeared on stage, dancing solo.

Moments later, she was joined by Sadeck Waff as the entire Voci Bianche choir began to sing.

The choir fell silent as a Milanese orchestra, with participating musicians from the Teatro alla Scala , began to play "Carmina Burana". The crowd was then able to watch a performance by Waff and a troupe of dancers with geometric movements. The music then changed from live orchestral music to electronic music, performed by DJ Lorenzo Senni.

The vast cast of 1,952 people, moving as one, formed a final tableau covered in confetti.

Ruffini was joined on the square by friends of the brand including Hiroshi Fujiwara, Anne Hathaway, Elsa Hosk, Minhyun Hwang, Carmen Jordá, Maria Sharapova, Pharrell Williams, Shailene Woodley and Na Ying, to name a few.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, as noted, Moncler will hold the multicity event "Extraordinary Expedition", running in New York, London, Tokyo and Seoul and the...