Milan Fashion Week: Brands make a renewed case for ‘Made in Italy’
By Kati Chitrakorn, CNN
Milan (CNN) — You can usually tell that it’s a Giorgio Armani show. Not least because of the refined designs, but because the models are most often smiling. That wasn’t the case on Sunday night, when the Italian luxury label presented its Spring-Summer 2026 collection — the last by the “maestro” of fashion himself before his passing earlier this month.
Models walking the runway — staged at the Pinacoteca di Brera museum — had solemn expressions on their faces. Instead of walking individually, several moved in pairs or small groups. They wore floor-skimming gowns and smart jackets that looked made for the red carpet where Armani’s brand has thrived. There were also more relaxed but sophisticated looks, such as the tunics and coats with mandarin collars. A live pianist performed, and there was a courtyard full of lit paper lanterns, creating a mood more solemn than any Armani show in recent history.
Among those in attendance were Hollywood stars and longtime friends of Armani, including actors Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Glenn Close, Lauren Hutton, Samuel L. Jackson, the filmmaker Spike Lee, and designers Paul Smith and Dries Van Noten. All dressed accordingly in black tie, and following the show were invited to explore the museum, where more than 120 of Armani’s designs are currently being exhibited for the first time, alongside works by Renaissance artists Caravaggio, Giovanni Bellini and Raphael.
For many attendees — who had received a T-shirt with a black and white photo of Armani along with their show invitation — this was a final chance to pay tribute to the designer’s transformative influence and his role in putting Milan on the fashion map. A standing ovation was given as Silvana Armani, who was her uncle’s trusted aide in the womenswear department and who also sits on the company’s board, and Leo Dell’Orco, Armani’s long-term partner and the brand’s head of menswear, took their bow at the end.
New beginnings at Gucci and Jil Sander
As one chapter closes, others have begun. There was plenty to look forward to throughout the week, as several designers — including Louise Trotter for Bottega Veneta and Dario Vitale for Versace — showed their first collections for big luxury houses.
The debuts take place at a critical time in the country, just days after riots and national strikes broke out across Italy as protestors clashed with police, demanding action over Gaza. Meanwhile, luxurious connotations of “Made in Italy” has been under threat in recent years following the revelations of labor exploitation in the outsourced factories of major brands, including Loro Piana, Dior and Valentino. Rising prices of luxury goods have also prompted more shoppers to question: Are high-end goods really worth the spend?
While ethical practices and high quality should remain non-negotiable, people still need a reason to buy into brands beyond the clothes. It’s a concept that Gucci’s mononymic, rule-breaking designer Demna understands well. He demonstrated his prowess on Tuesday when he unveiled his first looks for Gucci via a short film featuring an all-star cast, including actors Demi Moore, Edward Norton and Elliot Page and model Alex Consani. In the evening, they attended the premiere at the historical Palazzo Mezzanotte, dressed in their new Gucci attire — as did Gwyneth Paltrow, Serena Williams, and BTS member Jin.
Meanwhile, Simone Bellotti’s debut as the designer of Jil Sander felt like a whisper in comparison to Gucci’s glitzy affair. There were few celebrities in attendance at Jil Sander — but that’s how the understated label and Bellotti both typically operate. The most important face to know was arguably the American model who opened the show: Guinevere van Seenus, who famously appeared in the brand’s 1996 campaign and defined the minimalism look of that decade. Nearly 30 years on, she wore a cropped long-sleeved blue top and a white knee-long skirt.
Some skirts that followed came with narrow slits in the front, revealing slight glimpses of the models’ legs as they walked.“I think the way she was revealing was always very elegant, and it’s not easy to do,” Bellotti said backstage, of the label’s eponymous founder. He continued to explain: “I started by trying to study this brand, which I felt represents two opposite feelings. There is a part that is more classic, with formality and rigor. At the same time, it’s about the search for modernity and lightness. So, for me, it’s about trying to find the key to balance these elements.”
Fendi, Prada and Diesel stay the course
At other luxury labels, it was business as usual — though each made a compelling case for their craft by leaning into what they do best.
Silvia Venturini Fendi knows what customers want from years of experience working at her family’s fashion house, where she currently has full creative control. Her aptitude was unavoidable at the Fendi show, where top models holding desirable handbags, styled with joyful knits, eye-catching dresses and sporty separates, strutted past guests, including actors Hilary Duff, Naomi Watts and Bang Chan of the South Korean boy band Stray Kids. In the evening, they migrated to Fendi’s new flagship in the upscale Montenapoleone district, the opening of which coincides with the brand’s centennial year.
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, the intellectual and arty co-creative directors of Prada, regularly express their desire to embrace spontaneity and encourage thoughtful taste as a respite to the overstimulation generated from an algorithm-led modern world.
This season was no different. The new collection, which was designed as “a response to the overload of contemporary culture,” according to the show notes, included bralettes, uniform-like shirts tucked into trousers, and pinafores with deep-cut necklines. There were also utilitarian jackets styled over loose dresses. Actors Carey Mulligan, Kerry Washington, Felicity Jones, and the South Korean boy band Enhypen sat in the starry front row.
Backstage, Simons emphasized “the idea of freedom” and designing in a way that did not “constrict” the body, but also being open to the idea that “a woman can feel amazing, free and luxurious in a uniform as much as in a dress,” he said.
Prada nodded in agreement: “We tried to build a new kind of elegance,” she said. “The goal was to make clothes for now. Contemporary clothes.”
Elsewhere, Diesel designer Glenn Martens once again eschewed a traditional runway show, this time in favor of a self-described “egg hunt” around Milan. The project was revealed on Tuesday, with models individually posing in clear, egg-shaped domes wearing a look from the new collection. Next to each was a QR code. The idea was to trawl the city and collect them all; the first five people to do so were to be rewarded with a custom-made outfit.
It’s an ingenious move that democratizes fashion, which the label has sought to do previously with its public-facing shows and events.
A touch of whimsy at Moschino, Max Mara and Sunnei
Humor can do wonders to cut through a packed line-up of shows, and it has long been the raison d’être of Moschino. Designer Adrian Appiolaza, who is into his fourth season at the brand, presented one of his strongest collections yet.
Inspired by Arte Povera — the radical Italian art movement from the late 1960s, where everyday, non-traditional materials, like soil, rags or twigs, were used to challenge ideas of commercialism and elitism — Appiolaza used upcycled materials, such as raffia recycled from plastics, to create dresses and coats. The brand’s late founder’s spirit felt alive, as distinctive trompe-l’œil prints and the signature smiley symbol appeared on tops and dresses. Kooky bags came shaped like a supermarket pack of apples or a beach bucket.
Max Mara also had a touch of playfulness that was surprising. Normally one to focus on the practicality and tactility of clothes, the brand’s designer Ian Griffiths this time took inspiration from Madame de Pompadour, a renowned patron and adopter of the decadent Rococo style. Flourishes were added to typically classic wardrobe items: the opening look was a belted dress-like trench coat with short sleeves made from swirls of fabric to resemble flowers. Elsewhere, layers of organza were assembled to look like petals or feathers. They were looks you could imagine on Faye Peraya Malisorn, the Thai beauty queen turned actor, who drew a throng of fans outside the show.
And then there is Sunnei, the smaller, independent unisex label by Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo, which never fails to entertain guests with its tongue-in-cheek show formats. This time, in lieu of a runway, the brand hosted a fictional auction of its founders, intended to be a commentary on the commodification of creativity. The surprise announcement at the end of day, however, was that Messina and Rizzo would be exiting the company, and the show had marked a farewell of sorts for them after all.
Other highlights from the week
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