MILAN: Milan Fashion Week opens with a celebration of Italian style that will honour the late Giorgio Armani while introducing new creative talents at major fashion houses.
The Spring/Summer 2026 women’s collections will feature presentations from Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Max Mara, Fendi, Roberto Cavalli, Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta throughout the week.
The event carries a sombre tone following the recent passing of Giorgio Armani, the legendary 91-year-old designer who built a multi-billion euro empire and established Milan as a global fashion capital.
Sunday’s Giorgio Armani show at the prestigious Pinacoteca di Brera art museum will now serve as a final tribute to the designer, originally planned as the culmination of the label’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The museum will also host an anniversary exhibition of Armani’s top 150 creations from September 24 until January 11, a project the designer worked on until his final days according to the fashion group.
Carlo Capasa, head of Italy’s chamber of fashion, stated that this Fashion Week celebrates the memory of one of its founders who offered creative, entrepreneurial and human lessons to the industry.
Amid the mourning, the week will feature several highly anticipated debuts including Georgian designer Demna’s first presentation for Gucci after moving from Balenciaga.
Demna faces the challenging task of reversing sales declines at the Italian brand owned by French luxury group Kering, with a private event scheduled for Tuesday evening rather than a traditional catwalk show.
Kering’s new chief executive Luca de Meo described the presentation as Demna’s vision for interpreting Gucci, noting it will be something different though he hasn’t been allowed to preview it yet.
Dario Vitale will make his debut at Versace after taking over from Donatella Versace, who served as creative director for nearly three decades before the brand’s acquisition by Prada.
The flashy brand will host an intimate event on Friday night rather than a catwalk show, revealing Vitale’s debut collection that embodies Versace’s foundations while reflecting his new creative language.
Additional debuts include England’s Louise Trotter presenting her first catwalk show for Bottega Veneta and Italian Simone Bellotti for Jil Sander as part of an industry-wide creative shake-up.
These changes come as luxury brands continue navigating slowing demand in China and global economic uncertainty, requiring fresh perspectives to justify rising prices to consumers.
Luxury sector analyst Luca Solca noted small improvements in Chinese consumer confidence with increased summer in-store traffic, but emphasized the need for innovation to drive purchases.
This unprecedented amount of change in creative leadership responds to the industry imperative of offering consumers something new despite challenging market conditions. – AFP
