Launch of Fashion Week in Milan: What can we expect?

From February 25 to March 3, Italian Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2025-2026 will be in full swing in Milan. After the men's collections unveiled in January, women's fashion takes center stage again with a rich program: 56 physical fashion shows and 6 digital fashion shows, 65 presentations, 4 presentations by appointment and 23 events, for a total of 153 fashion events.

All eyes are on the collections of the new creative directors, such as David Koma, who is presenting his first collection for Blumarine. Among the highlights, we await the celebration of the centenary of the Fendi fashion house (LVMH), whose fashion show is scheduled for Wednesday, February 26, as well as the fashion show organized next Sunday by the duo Dolce & Gabbana, in collaboration with the Chinese designer Susan Fang.

Milan Fashion Week was inaugurated this Wednesday by Gucci, which, despite itself, has become the brand symbolizing the recession currently affecting the fashion sector. In fact, a fortnight ago, Kering published worrying results, with a 23% drop in the turnover of its flagship brand. In addition, the sudden departure of the fashion house's artistic director, Sabato De Sarno, barely three weeks before the event, forced the Gucci teams to get to work to create an emergency transitional collection, based on the timeless codes of the fashion house.

In addition, February 27 will mark a key moment, particularly in the current economic context, with the launch of the third edition of the “Maestri d'eccellenza” (Masters of Excellence) Prize, which rewards the best Italian artisans. Organized by Métiers d'Excellence LVMH in collaboration with Maison Loro Piana, the Italian association for the defense of artisans Confartigianato Imprese and the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, this event will be an opportunity to take stock of the delicate situation of Italian textile artisans at the moment.

During the press conference that preceded Fashion Week, the president of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, Carlo Capasa, emphasized the urgency of concrete initiatives to support the sector: “Concrete systemic actions are needed, bringing together all the players and operators in the dual sense of innovating, in line with the times, and strengthening our supply chain, which is unique in the world”, then urging the government to develop appropriate support policies.

In 2024, Italian fashion achieved a turnover of just under 96 billion euros, marking a decline of 5.3% compared to the previous year, according to data published by the National Chamber of Italian Fashion.