Milan Fashion Week was an era of infinite opinions. Who is fashion really for?
As Milan Fashion Week drew to a close_ one thing felt undeniable: everyone is now a fashion critic. Not just the front row. Not just the legacy editors. But analysts_ Substack writers_ TikTok commentators_ luxury consultants_ meme accounts and armchair aesthetes alike.
The more interesting question is not whether opinions are polarised_ they always have been_ but whose approval brands genuinely need in order to succeed.
The Gucci case study
The first runway collection for Gucci under Demna was always going to be divisive. What was notable_ however_ was that the reaction felt less brutal than the reception that greeted his predecessor Sabato De Sarno_ a debut widely considered commercially underwhelming.
The critique ecosystem is now sprawling. Luxury analysts such as Luca Solca_ trade publications like WWD_ institutional voices such as Business of Fashion_ with revered authorities_ alongside independent newsletters like Linesheet and Instagram commentators all weighed in.
Some declared it a successful reset_ a necessary purge into Gucci_s next era. Others dismissed it as derivative of Tom Ford_ even likening elements to the aesthetic of Philipp Plein. Certain observers praised the clothes; others fixated on casting_ muscular “himbos” squeezed into hyper-fitted tees and trousers. Questions of aspiration surfaced. So did doubts about quality.
The camps were not just divided; they were speaking different languages. And when reactions fracture this sharply_ the consumer is left wondering: whose authority counts?
Even critics have bias
Journalists_ like designers_ have preferences. Certain designers benefit from long-standing critical goodwill. When was the last time a major industry writer delivered a truly scathing assessment of Jonathan Anderson?
That is not necessarily criticism_ merely a reminder that fashion commentary is rarely neutral. Writers interpret through personal taste_ brand history_ and intellectual framing. Some dissect meaning and narrative with surgical precision. Others prioritise wearability and product. Social media_ meanwhile_ often strips nuance entirely.
Bottega and the weight of expectation
At Bottega Veneta_ Louise Trotter presented her second outing. Many considered it stronger than her first_ a collection more resolved in tone and construction. Yet the oversized silhouette continued to divide opinion. For some_ it signalled confidence and authority; for others_ it felt cumbersome and distant from everyday wear.
The tension between runway theatre and real-world practicality is hardly new. But amplified commentary makes the gap feel wider.
Prada: Genius or isularity?
At Prada_ the repeated runway sequence_ models circling back to remove layers_ revealing incremental shifts in silhouette_ was hailed by some traditional critics as conceptual brilliance. Others questioned whether such exercises reflect designers speaking primarily to each other rather than to customers.
Is intellectual layering a masterstroke? Or evidence of creative insularity? The answer depends entirely on perspective.
The only verdict that ultimately matters
This is where the numbers intervene.
Parent group Kering has reported significant declines at Gucci over recent seasons_ with revenues down sharply compared to peak performance during its previous creative high in 2022. When revenue tumbles that far_ CEOs have to move heaven and earth to please investors_ markets and customers.
As Chinese consumer spending gradually rebounds and global luxury demand recalibrates (depending if the tensions in the Middle East end soon)_ it will not be the runway reviews that determine success. It will be quarterly results.
Critics influence perception. Analysts influence investors. Social media influences buzz. But only customers influence balance sheets.
Perhaps the real shift at Milan this season was not aesthetic_ but structural. The monopoly of opinion has dissolved. Authority is fragmented. Brands are no longer designing for fashion critics_ if they ever truly were.
In an era where everyone has a platform to share opinions_ the final arbiter is neither the old guard nor the algorithm.
It is the cash register.