Characteristic Italian music, mixed with the scent of espresso, hung between the olive trees in the courtyard of the Summum Headquarters in Amsterdam. FashionUnited was welcomed at Summum on July 8 to discover the latest Spring 2025 collection. Infused with Sicilian atmosphere, Summum took FashionUnited along in the creative vision and the entire design process of the Summum collections.
Showroom tour
An extensive Italian lunch was followed by an intimate and detailed tour of Summum’s showroom. The modern space was filled with the latest Spring 2025 collection: a sea of different styles, summery colours and thoughtful accents. Because the collection was presented in Summum’s own, larger showroom, the full range with all deliveries and colours could be viewed. The collection, inspired by the colours and sun-drenched landscape of Sicily, focuses on rich details, embroidery and various textures. In typical Summum style, there is again a lot of attention for rich prints, the starting point for Summum designers.
Philosophy: for women, by women
In addition to the use of prints, an important point became clear during the tour: Summum is designed for women, by women. Clothing should be comfortable, look beautiful and be flattering. For the working, busy woman, there is no point in wearing a beautiful dress if you can’t jump on your bike in it, right? This idea is reflected in all Summum collections. It is therefore great that the Summum design team works closely with a studio around the corner, where the samples are made. This makes it a dynamic and active design process, in which the samples come from the studio and the Summum team can immediately enter the wearing and testing phase. The women quickly discover which designs work well with the body and an active life, and which perhaps do not. With great enthusiasm, FashionUnited was taken along in the thought processes behind various blouses, cargo pants, cardigans and shoes that are part of the wide range of Spring 2025 styles.
The design process of Summum
Also present in the showroom was one of Summum’s pattern makers, who explained the design process from a technical perspective. Sitting at a large table full of design drawings, rolls of fabric and colour cards, she explained that the prints and the quality of the fabric are central to the design of new styles. At Summum, the fabrics serve as a starting point, from which the silhouettes and style characteristics are determined. Instead of using standard silhouettes that are executed in different prints, at Summum the prints form the basis. Using a digital pattern program, it was shown how the pattern pieces are digitally placed on the roll of fabric. This ensures optimal placement of the print on the garment, saving time, costs and material.
Ode to the Italian landscape
In addition to the attention to design processes, the thoughtfulness and ode to the theme of the Italian landscape was evident in everything at the Summum office. This also applied to the large-format campaign shoot, which took place in Pantanello, Sicily. FashionUnited was told the story about the collaboration with an olive grove, of which bottles of olive oil were on the bar and were given away in a goodie bag. During the search for a suitable location, the Summum team came across an olive grove and olive oil producer located in an old villa in the Italian landscape of Pantanello, which seemed like a perfect atmosphere for the campaign. After corresponding with the olive grove, it turned out that it was run by a Dutch family. This created a good bond between the Summum team and the people on location, which led to a tour of the yard, an extensive Italian dinner, and the possible collaboration with the olive oil that was received by FashionUnited and visitors. This gave visitors a true glimpse into the humanity and collaborations that make a collection and atmosphere so complete.
An atmospheric day
This year, Summum focused on fully embracing the Sicilian theme of the Spring 2025 collection at their office. Provided with snacks, drinks and a cozy ambiance, FashionUnited, buyers and trusted customers were able to take their time to view the collection and talk to Summum, without the hustle and bustle of a trade fair floor. The collection, the inspiration and the creative process were fully appreciated in this way.
