From snow to the city: following in the footsteps of Moon Boot's relaunch
Interview with Allegra Benini
Born in Milan on the night of Halloween in 1991 – “like the witches,” she jokes – Allegra Benini grew up traveling, attending international schools, and experiencing a multicultural environment that is now reflected in her work as Head of Marketing at Moon Boot. After graduating in Milan, her hometown, she moved to London to perfect her English, attending courses at Central Saint Martins, including a module on “cool hunting” that opened her eyes to the world of fashion as seen through the lens of subcultures. “Before social media, trends had to be sought out where they originated, not on the catwalk but in vintage markets and niches linked to the world of art, music, and sports in cities such as Los Angeles, Paris, or London.” That course, as we shall see later, would prove very useful.
After that, she graduated in Business Administration with a specialization in Finance and, after her studies, joined PRCO, an international marketing and communications agency specializing in the hotel sector, where she worked for four years between London and Milan, dealing with new business. Her move to the world of fashion came with L'Officiel (a historic French fashion magazine), where Allegra founded the events department for the Italian edition and worked as market editor, devising special projects developed by the magazine with major brands. “It was there that I found my niche: combining strategic thinking and creative vision.”
Then came the turning point. “During COVID, Mirko Massignan (General Manager of Moon Boot) called me. He was looking for someone who could handle marketing and manage a budget, but also rethink the brand's image. It was a huge challenge, but I accepted.” The goal was twofold: to relaunch the brand and increase Moon Boot's international visibility, reaching new generations. The first step was to redefine the consumer clusters. “The traditional consumer was nostalgic, linked to snow. We had to target those who didn't know Moon Boot but followed trends. Fortunately, the product - iconic, large, colorful, ambidextrous, genderless - was perfect for the post-street aesthetic that dominated fashion at the time.”
To reach everyone, a visual revolution was also needed: “We had to move away from catwalks and models and focus on ordinary people. Our campaigns now feature only real people, from children to the elderly, whom we select through global and inclusive casting calls.” The first international campaign created by Allegra in Los Angeles is perhaps the project that best embodies this inclusive and unconventional vision. Los Angeles was chosen for a specific reason: “We wanted to decontextualize the product, take it out of the mountains and put it in the heat, in the city where most trends in the American music industry are born, which then become global trends.” Casting was key: “We selected real people of all kinds - a skater from Venice, a pole dancer, two tall African - American motorcyclists with crazy bikes, an elderly Asian lady doing Tai Chi on the beach, a transgender girl... It was visual, natural, impactful, and inclusive, but without being forced. The message was: whoever you are, you can wear Moon Boot.” And it worked. “The campaign broke down a lot of barriers and had an incredible impact,” says Allegra, who reveals that she has recently worked on another disruptive campaign in China, which will be released in the second half of 2025.
Collaborations have also been launched, “but always with a strategic vision,” Allegra emphasizes. Above all, the collaboration with Adidas was a milestone for the brand, as it was its first ready-to-wear collaboration with global testimonials such as Baby Monster (a Korean K-pop group) and Lena Mahfouf (a French influencer), and distribution in Adidas flagship stores. "The campaign exceeded expectations. The second drop is already planned and will be even stronger."
Among the many ways of speaking to young people, there are also art and design, and some of the projects developed by Moon Boot in recent years are moving in this direction. "Moon Boot is an icon in the world of design, and it is no coincidence that it is part of two permanent collections at the MoMa in New York and the Triennale in Milan. We therefore decided to start working with contemporary emerging artists by creating the Arts and Crafts program." In the program, young artists are encouraged to unleash their creativity starting from Moon Boot, developing content with a playful approach in line with the brand's new identity. It is an original and innovative way of communicating, which is yielding significant results on social media.
When we ask her if there is anything else she would like to say, Allegra smiles and recounts an anecdote: “When Mirko called me to propose Moon Boot, I was watching Stranger Things. I thought: it would be great to see Moon Boots worn by the characters in the series. And in the following season, it actually happened.”
