A fashion show open to the public in a garden: amid reserved invitations and packed schedules, Antonio Marras’s gesture is worth taking a closer look at. At the Giardino Vincenzo Muccioli, the designer will bring fresh perspectives to Milan Fashion Week. This openness offers a lens through which to view the upcoming Fashion Week, September 22–28: observing how fashion spills beyond the runway, takes over cultural venues, and seeks a place in the life of the city. The collections will remain the focal point. But it is also through them that Milan intends to tell its story.
The museum: another arena for fashion
Exhibitions will be a key part of this September lineup. On the 23rd, the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) will host its guests at Palazzo Reale for an opening gala dinner tied to the inauguration of “Dalí e la Moda.” Supported by the City of Milan as part of its cultural program, the exhibition is produced by Palazzo Reale, MondoMostre, and Civita Mostre e Musei, in collaboration with the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí. The exhibition invites visitors to view fashion through the lens of an artist, rather than that of a season.
At 10 Corso Como, the perspective will shift on September 25. “Viktor&Rolf. Spectrum” will bring together twenty haute couture looks designed over more than thirty years by the OTB Group’s fashion house. The contrast with the pace of fashion shows is intriguing: whereas the calendar demands a swift transition to the next collection, the exhibition allows visitors to trace a creative journey. Just twenty looks span three decades of design.
The same venue will open “The East” on the 23rd, in collaboration with the lifestyle social platform Xiaohongshu. Another event, another focus: On the 24th, the Afro Fashion Association and Levi’s will present the multidisciplinary exhibition “Voices Of Denim.” The documentary “Voices of Denim – Behind the Scenes,” scheduled for Sunday the 27th, will extend this exploration. These events offer multiple opportunities for reflection in a week dominated by the immediacy of images.
At Moschino, a moment of change
On the runways, attention will focus in particular on Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo. Their first collection as creative directors of Moschino will be unveiled on Friday, September 25, in a show featuring both women’s and men’s collections. No aesthetic details have yet been revealed in the program: the stakes lie precisely in this first statement, as the duo sets out to shape their interpretation of the brand.
The key dates on the calendar, however, have been set. Prada will kick off the week on Tuesday, September 22; Giorgio Armani will present on Sunday, September 27, the final day of in-person runway shows. Between these two dates, new names will join the women’s runway schedule: the Portuguese designers Marques’ Almeida, already recognized by the LVMH Prize, and Miguel Vieira; the Mexican designer Neithan Herbert; and Victor-Hart. The latter benefited from “The Max&Co. Design for Change” initiative as part of the Camera Moda Fashion Trust Grant 2024.
The presentations will also feature a number of changes. Alanui and Gherardini are returning, as is La Perla, whose presence marks a new chapter following its acquisition by Luxury Holdings LLC. It’s important to distinguish this return from a debut in this format: Off-White, Paris Texas, and Sézane are among the brands appearing on the presentation schedule for the first time. It’s not the same story, nor the same starting point.
Anniversaries vs. Debuts
The week will bring together the long-standing history of established brands with the excitement of new beginnings. Hogan will celebrate forty years, Gianvito Rossi twenty, and The Attico ten. Amato Daniele and Edis Pala will also celebrate their first decade. Parajumpers, making its debut on the event calendar, will mark its 20th anniversary. For these houses, September will therefore also be an opportunity to reflect on longevity, while others will seek to establish their names.
This wave of new talent will be particularly evident in the runway shows, featuring designers such as Andrea Brocca, Leandro Cano, Lug Von Siga, Kenneth Tetteh, Absent Findings, and Unknown Artisan. The digital segment will welcome Banke Kuku, Mastewal Alemu, Timisola Shasanya, and Rechenberg for the first time. This diversity of formats matters: not all brands will make their debut through the same medium, and the physical runway show alone does not encapsulate the entire program.
The figures presented at Palazzo Marino by Carlo Capasa, president of the CNMI, provide a clear picture: 203 events are scheduled, including 61 runway shows—54 in-person and seven digital. Added to these are 88 presentations—including four by appointment—and 54 events. The challenge for viewers will be less about seeing everything than knowing where to linger.
A new generation emerging from the schools
One of the most revealing journeys could unfold at the CNMI’s Fashion Hub. Sara Sozzani Maino, the institution’s international ambassador for emerging talent and brands, is bringing together six labels from the new generation there in “Future Threads: Italy’s New Wave.” With “Mediterranea. Talenti Emergenti in Campania,” produced in collaboration with the Campania Region, eight brands will be showcased from a different perspective—this time, a regional one.
The Chinese program “In The Fold: Chinese Fashion in the Making” shifts the perspective yet again. Under the direction of Zou You, president of the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, it will bring together fourteen projects by fifteen designers who teach at various Chinese universities. The decision to showcase designers who personally share their craft adds an educational dimension to this international showcase. On Sunday, the 27th, the twelfth edition of Milano Moda Graduate will feature students from Italy’s leading fashion schools.
The exchange of talent will also take the form of a collaboration with the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode: Sevali will be presented in Milan, while Act N°1 will be featured during Paris Fashion Week. A selection of Romanian designers will be featured in “Romanian Fashion Edit,” curated by Mercedes-Benz Bucharest Fashion Week. Finally, on September 26, the Fondazione Sozzani will present its first Sozzani Award, dedicated to women’s empowerment, with a grant intended to support a female designer or entrepreneur.
What the week will leave behind in the city
International exchanges will continue on the 22nd with the Shenzhen Futian Fashion Event, featuring three brands from the Futian district. The following day, Keqiao will present “Season Abide By Their Course,” a group fashion show featuring Gu Yandai, Liu Hongchao, Sancailiyi, and Sayaanno. Milan is thus positioning itself as a venue for showcasing scenes that aren’t all Italian, rather than as the sole showcase for its own fashion houses.
In the city, Vogue World: Milano will take over the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II on September 22, centered on the theme “The Human Touch in the Age of Technology.” The question of the role of human touch in the face of technology will thus be explored in an urban setting, rather than a runway venue. A train specially decorated for Fashion Week will also be unveiled in collaboration with Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa, part of the FS Group.
There is one less spectacular announcement, but one whose impact will extend beyond the week itself. During the program presentation, Mayor Giuseppe Sala stated that Condé Nast would fund the renovation of the Quarto Oggiaro municipal library. Far from the twenty haute couture looks and the front rows, this will be another mark of Milan’s fashion scene: a neighborhood facility set to serve the community long after the guests have left.