It promised to be a season of celebrazione in Milan, and the city delivered. Anniversary shows from Fendi and Dsquared2 set a joyful tone, which was reflected by the (mostly) sunny weather. Diesel, Marni and Giorgio Armani were among those to offer standout collections, while several emerging designers had the chance to shine.
“The overall mood was very positive in Milan this season,” says Kay Barron, fashion director at Net-a-Porter. “The sunshine had an uplifting effect and everyone was in high spirits. There felt a sense of excitement in the city, and the presentations brought a vibrant atmosphere.”
“It was a pretty strong season,” echoes Vogue Runway’s Tiziana Cardini. “Most of the brands had convincing outings. They felt consistent. Of course you miss a strong Gucci show [with a creative director] and a Bottega show. But in the end, the season was strong anyway.”
Strong shows offered escapism and desire
Some of the most talked about shows of Autumn/Winter 2025 brought a sense of escapism — proving that the most successful brands are the ones that create desire while remaining conscious of the world we live in.
Giorgio Armani epitomised this on Sunday morning, closing out the week for many with a far-reaching show that incorporated high glamour and pragmatism. Sparkly fluid gowns and separates — twinkling under the lights — were paired with comfortable flat boots, which reflects how people want to dress today, says Vogue Business and Vogue Runway global director Nicole Phelps.
Marni’s show was another highlight of the week, editors agree. The set felt like a cabaret, complete with waiters serving Martini spritzes (“you can’t spell Martini without Marni”, one editor quipped); a Dev Hynes original score; and a collaboration with artists Slawn and Soldier Boyfriend, featured in the collection and on the walls. The collection was theatrical, eclectic and bright, including Tracee Ellis Ross in a bright yellow gown, emblazoned with a pop art crash print.
At Diesel — Marni’s OTB stablemate — the set featured graffiti artworks from over 7,000 people from across China, South Africa, the US and Europe, lining the walls and floor of the Allianz stadium. The centrepiece? The brand revived its record-breaking, huge inflatable from its SS23 show, covering it in matching graffiti. The AW25 collection was ambitious from Glenn Martens, his first for Diesel since he was announced as creative director of Maison Margiela in January. Diesel continues to perform well under Martens, with sales up 3.1 per cent year-on-year in 2024 (many luxury labels reported flat or declining sales in the same period). With new silhouettes and fabrics, from Chanel-inspired tweed separates and coats, to more Martens coded bumsters and hot pants, this show may open the brand up to a broader consumer.
“The mood in Milan this season feels hopeful and grounded in tradition while embracing change,” says Rickie de Sole, VP, fashion director at Nordstrom. “The new Missoni under [returning creative director] Alberto Caliri brought a fresh perspective, offering a heartfelt return to the brand’s iconic patterns and signature knits. Across the week, there was a sense of recentered familiarity, where heritage codes and modern ideas came together seamlessly — a testament to Milan’s enduring identity.”
For others, a sombre mood
Contrasting some of the escapist shows, other brands sought to reflect the dark times we’re living in in 2025, with more sombre palettes, as we saw in London. Black was a dominant colour across many of the collections, including Blumarine, Versace, Moschino, Dolce Gabbana and Prada.
“We are in a real black moment,” said Miuccia Prada backstage after the brand’s show on Thursday, which opened with four black dresses and closed with two black coats. “These dresses are very today,” she added. Prada and her co-creative director Raf Simons played with proportion to redefine femininity this season. The show was entitled Raw Glamour and featured thick, paper bag waist skirts sitting away from the body and baggy, shapeless shift dresses in florals and yellows. “There’s an idea of liberation. Total liberation. Within feminine beauty, when you think of its archetypes, there are lots of restrictions on the body — here, it is free,” Simons said post-show.
With this message, at a time when the rights of women, especially trans women, are increasingly threatened, it felt poignant that Prada ambassador Hunter Schafer — who spoke out last week when she received a new US ID noting her as male — sat front row.
Brands celebrated their anniversaries with star power
On Tuesday night, Dsquared2’s 30th-anniversary show woke up lots of bleary-eyed editors and buyers who’d boarded the 7.30am flight from London. The set resembled downtown New York, complete with subway grates in the pavement spewing steam, fire escapes on brownstone buildings, and crowds of people on “street” corners. Star of the moment Doechii opened and closed the show, performing her hit Alter Ego with fellow rapper JT, while the brand’s founders Dean and Dan Caten danced by her side. Models including Alex Consani, Amelia Gray and Naomi Campbell rode into the runway in the back of Cadillacs, armoured trucks and G-Wagons. And the designers themselves were driven into the runway in a police car, arrested, and then set free to strut and take their bow. A bow is in order, as the duo have managed to stay independent through 30 years of fashion industry turbulence.
The party didn’t stop there. The following evening, Fendi celebrated its centennial with a major co-ed show from Silvia Venturini Fendi, who now presides over womenswear, menswear and accessories following the departure of Kim Jones in October. The show featured Fendi faces through time, including supermodels Penelope Tree, Eva Herzigová and Doutzen Kroes, alongside young talents like Mona Tougaard and Gabbriette. Post-show, guests were treated to Fendi branded cones of fries, Fendi trunks brimming with pre-mixed cocktails and surprise performances from noughties icon Sean Paul (with Venturini’s granddaughters dancing side of stage) and Chinese popstar Yuqi.
Luxury footwear brand Santoni, meanwhile, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a dinner and exhibition of photographs that celebrate the artisans behind the shoes, hosted by chairman Giuseppe Santoni. Taken by Jack Davison, the photos showed worn hands stitching or cutting with practised precision.
“There was a good energy during this fashion week,” says Carlo Capasa, president of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. “In a moment of transition like this, I think the fashion houses always give their best. I feel that there is research being done, that there is a lot of focus on innovation; with desire to [try] new things and to enhance their strengths.”
The show went on for brands in transition
As we know, it’s a season of transition for many of Milan’s major houses. Gucci opened MFW this season with a large-scale show, in a green circular show set, surrounding a giant GG logo in the floor. There was no sign of former creative director Sabato de Sarno’s signature Ancora red. But some of De Sarno’s favourite talents remained, including tennis star and Gucci ambassador Jannik Sinner on the front row. The collection — designed by the Gucci design studio — was well received (Mytheresa buying director Tiffany Hsu noted it as a highlight), as showgoers continued to speculate who will take over the house.
Bottega Veneta didn’t show this season, as new creative director Louise Trotter prepares for her debut in September. Instead, the brand hosted a performance from musical group Soundwalk collective and singer-songwriter and poet Patti Smith in its new headquarters, which many noted as a highlight of the week. Smith, dressed at one point in a Bottega intrecciato jacket, read original poetry set against video and live music, paying tribute to Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini (50 years after his assassination) and architect Carlo Mollino. At the end, she paid a heartfelt tribute to her late husband Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith, on what would have been their 45th wedding anniversary, with an a cappella rendition of hit Because the Night. It was another clever fashion week play from the house, which manages to effortlessly straddle high-low culture, from animal beanbags (SS25) to sophisticated poetry performances, all without a social media account.
Jil Sander creative directors Luke and Lucie Meier are exiting the brand after eight years, parent group OTB announced shortly after the show on Wednesday (OTB chairman Renzo Rosso presented the teary duo with white flowers backstage post-show, which confirmed the rumours even before the official release).
New names invigorated the schedule
There was an influx of emerging talent in Milan this season, with buzzy newer names like Francesco Murano, Institution by Galib Gassanoff and Giuseppe di Morabito appearing on the official schedule. It’s a focus for Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Capasa said ahead of MFW. Murano, whose on-schedule debut was supported by a grant from the Camera della Moda Fashion Trust, was recently announced as one of the 2025 LVMH Prize semi-finalists.
Editors were impressed by Gassanoff’s debut for his new brand Institution, which the Georgian designer established after parting ways with previous design partner Luca Lin (with whom he founded Act No.1).
“Institution and Francesco Murano have been highlights this week. They’re totally different, but they both emphasise slow fashion and craft,” says Sara Sozzani Maino, international new talent and brands ambassador and creative director at Fondazione Sozzani. “These kids are building their brands [their own way]. Francesco wants to focus on made-to-order and quality. Galib underlines the importance of craftsmanship, blending Georgian heritage with Made in Italy. For them, it’s about the message they’re sending and their values.”
Cardini also notes emerging brand Durazzi, which presented on schedule for the second time this season, this time constructing a fake recording studio in its Milan HQ, with musicians wearing the collection as they performed. Maino also highlighted Florania, the independent genderless brand founded by stylist and illustrator Flora Rabitti, and local knitwear collective Pecoranera as ones to watch.
“It’s the first time in a long time that we have [a few] designers in Milan who are worthy of attention, with shows that commanded press presence and buyer presence,” Cardini says.
Closing out the week, emerging designer Avavav continued with her clever show concepts, while unveiling some pieces from her ongoing collaboration with Adidas. This time, models rose from the dead, clawing through a grave and emerging from beneath (reflecting a difficult time the designer has been experiencing with her health). “We spent months looking for a location where this was actually possible to build without it costing a huge amount of money,” she says, “finally we pulled it off.”
Also on Sunday, Chinese designer Susan Fang made her Milan debut after cancelling last season, as the latest designer to show as part of the Dolce Gabbana Supported By scheme, following Tomo Koizumi (AW23), Karoline Vitto (SS24) and Feben (AW24). Backstage after the show, she thanked Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana for allowing her to use their atelier to develop new categories like denim and tailoring.
“Rich minimalism” and a maximalist mood
While Milan is never short on glamour from mainstays like Versace and Dolce Gabbana, many brands leaned into heavy embellishments, sequins and bold prints for AW25, as fashion continues to swing back to maximalism and houses add fun accessories, to imbue collections with a sense of personal style. Even more classic labels experimented with proportion or accessories.
“There’s a kind of rich minimalism in Milan today,” Cardini says. “Wearability is never plain.” She notes Bally, where the front of some garments was minimal tailoring, but from the back there featured a shock of coloured fur. “There’s an instinctual part that makes minimalism less flat.”
Elsewhere, we saw all-out maximalism take hold. Heavy duty jewel embellishments at Fendi; sparkly tweeds and plaids at Missoni and sequin bob caps and vests at Simone Bellotti’s Bally. Fur (mainly faux fur) also continues to dominate, with exaggerated fur stoles skimming the floor at Fendi and Blumarine, fur trims at Marni and Bally, and XXL fur accessories at Diesel, Etro and Dolce Gabbana.
At masters of maximalism Dolce Gabbana’s show, entitled ‘cool girl’, models walked out of the show venue onto a runway on the street, to screaming crowds, while Victoria De Angelis of Italian band Måneskin DJed heavy techno. The collection started off casual, with denim and beanies (albeit embellished) but like AW25 men’s, quickly morphed into bejewelled eveningwear, full of crystals and tassels. A similar vibe was felt at Dsquared2, where pieces ranged from double denim and suiting to bejewelled or thong bodysuits, as seen on Amelia Gray and Naomi Campbell.
“The collections are rich with texture, colour and bold patterns. It’s invigorating to see such diversity and vibrancy [in Milan] after a period dominated by minimalist design,” says Mytheresa’s Hsu. “Milan’s exuberant approach to fashion feels like a refreshing return to the dramatic and luxurious storytelling that the city is known for.”
With additional reporting by Kirsty McGregor
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
More from this author:
Giuseppe di Morabito is the biggest Milan brand you’ve never heard of
At Blumarine, David Koma has ‘everything under control’
Sunnei’s next show is a store opening. Just don’t call it a concept store
