Milan Fashion Week was a season of reckoning and renewal
Milan Fashion Week this September was as much an event behind the scenes as it was on the runway. The tides of fashion have rarely shifted as abruptly as in 2025_ and both the spectacle and the machinery of the industry now unfold under intense scrutiny. According to the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana_ Italy_s fashion industry generates over 100 billion euros annually_ accounting for more than 40 per cent of Europe_s luxury goods output. Yet this season underscored how fragile that dominance has become. The debuts that the fashion world had anticipated for months_ Demna at Gucci_ Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta_ and Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander_ arrived in the midst of a luxury slowdown_ with global sales growth projected to dip below 3 per cent this year compared with double-digit increases pre-pandemic.
Resolutions to come
The turbulence was not confined to creative shake-ups. Midway through the womenswear season_ Brunello Cucinelli shares fell sharply after an investigation revealed the brand had continued selling full-price merchandise in Russia_ sidestepping sanctions. It was a reminder of fashion_s shadow side_ where reputations can unravel quickly. The once-unassailable “Made in Italy” hallmark remains under strain_ with houses such as Dior and Loro Piana having outsourced elements of production to lower-cost facilities_ eroding the cachet of the label. Meanwhile_ succession questions weigh heavily on family-founded brands. The future of Giorgio Armani_ and the fate of its minority stake once Mr Armani_s estate is resolved_ remains unsettled. At Fendi_ the industry is bracing for a new chapter after Silvia Venturini Fendi announced her departure from design duties to assume the role of honorary president. Maria Grazia Chiuri is widely regarded as the likely successor_ with an announcement anticipated imminently.
And yet_ Milan still delivered moments of clarity. The season_s most anticipated debuts_ which will likely come to define this moment_ were formidable. Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta_ Dario Vitale at Versace_ and Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander injected new energy into heritage houses.
From goddess to grit: Versace_s new street swagger
At Versace_ Vitale dispensed with the goddess gowns that had long defined the brand and reintroduced sportswear with a provocative edge. It was a nostalgic turn towards the 1980s_ underscored by the era_s soundtrackg_ which included Wham!_s Everything She Wants and Eurythmics. But this was no simple exercise in retro. There were louche jackets with diagonal stripes in suede and leather_ vest tops with open-cut sides_ and trousers in washed blues and purples that felt unexpectedly modern. The collection suggested a Versace beyond red carpet bombast. Yet Donatella Versace_s absence was striking. After being ushered into retirement_ she offered no public words of endorsement for Vitale. Having steered the house since Gianni_s assassination in 1997_ her silence hints at tensions as the label prepares to join the Prada Group_ a transaction due to close in October.
The weight of a debut
At Bottega Veneta_ Trotter_s debut was closely watched. Once a discreet connoisseur_s brand_ Bottega has become a commercial powerhouse under Kering_ propelled first by Daniel Lee_s oversized intrecciato and discreet triangle motif and later Matthieu Blazy_s technical experimentation. Trotter_ with previous stints at Joseph and Carven_ leaned into Bottega_s artisanal core: intrecciato weaving appeared across sumptuous bags_ suede_ feathered coats and even knitwear. These are pieces resistant to high-street replication_ embodying a level of craft beyond imitation. Still_ the collection felt weighty_ particularly in oversized tailoring and outerwear. This is a spring summer season_ after all. The absence of the signature “Bottega green” suggested an intentional break from the recent past.
Minimalism recalibrated
Jil Sander_ under Bellotti_ offered a welcome recalibration. He drew from the brand_s minimalist heritage while softening it for the present. Shrunken knits_ slight ruching in shirting_ and discreet slits in dresses created a restrained sensuality. It was a collection that valued proportion and subtlety over spectacle. Commercial potential will hinge on execution and fit_ but the direction felt in line with a house that thrives on understatement.
Utility in technicolor
If Bottega and Versace signalled transition_ Prada confirmed continuity. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons remain unrivalled in capturing the zeitgeist without resorting to (too much) gimmick. Utilitarian workwear opened the show_ but was reimagined in neon dresses and frothy skirts layered with unexpected colours. A salmon-pink coat with beige lining_ paired with yellow shorts_ green gloves_ and a red-and-black handbag_ demonstrated Prada_s genius for recombining elements into looks that appear over-styled on the runway but fall into place as separates in real life. There were weaker notes_ the proposition of a flimsy bra-let and contrived suspended skirt dresses_ but overall the collection balanced wearability with intellectual play.
From Hollywood to Milan_ an enduring elegance
The week closed with an elegiac note. Giorgio Armani_ who passed away earlier this month_ was celebrated with both a commemorative exhibition_ Milano_ Per Amore_ and a runway show. Armani_s deconstructed tailoring of the 1970s_ his palette of greys and sand_ and his ability to strip suiting to its essence_ still looked modern. His aesthetic dressed stars from Richard Gere to Julia Roberts_ but more crucially it changed how men and women approached their wardrobes. The tribute reminded Milan_ and the wider industry_ that true design legacies endure long after fashion week is over and quarterly results fade.
