All the fashion action during Milan Fashion Week wasn’t necessarily on the runways. Both Italians and international fashion visitors got to view the next generation of fashion designers at the latest edition of Milan’s Fashion Hub, held Sept. 23 to 28, 2025, inside Milan’s Palazzo Giureconsulti.
Presented by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), The Fashion Hub — a global fashion incubator and meeting place — promoted the new generation of designers with a multitude of initiatives and activities with garments displayed in vignettes. The projects leveraged CNMI’s fundamental values of experimentation, innovation, craftsmanship, sustainability, inclusion and training. Fashion Hub also offered a space for designers to network with the public and fashion industry movers and shakers.
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The Fashion Hub occurs twice yearly, with both editions supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), which have always provided backing for innovative start-ups and next-gen designers.
The two main featured exhibitions were curated by Sara Sozzani Maino, CNMI’s international new talent and brands ambassador.
The first, “Future Threads: Italy’s New Wave,” explored trailblazing Italian creatives redefining the essence of Made in Italy. From fashion to design to craft, this installation “bore witness to Italy’s creative evolution through the eyes of those shaping what comes next.” These new designers and craftspeople are weaving a bold future by blending heritage with innovation and responsibility. Featured brands included Durazzi Milano, Federico Cina, Francesco Murano, Institution, Magliano and Niccolò Pasqualetti.
The second, “New Gen, New Ethos,” spotlighted a new wave of creators redefining values in design, fashion and culture. Rooted in responsibility, inclusivity and innovation, this new generation “leads with purpose and creates with impact.” Featured brands included Cascinelli, Chelsea Jean Lamm, Liwen Liang and Victor Weinsanto, as well as Afro Fashion Association’s designers Cute-Saint, Kathiana Saincy Couture and Zineb Hazim. Their presentations rotated throughout the week.
Within the “New Gen, New Ethos” project, the Fashion Hub also presented Victor Weinsanto, who launched his eponymous brand in 2020 and is the designer of the Paris Fashion Week® Showroom Sphere. This initiative of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode is dedicated to the new generation of designers. In the spirit of collaboration and exchange, the Sphere PFW® Showroom will host Marco Rambaldi in Oct. Weinsanto, who has a background in professional dance, is known for infusing high fashion with creative performance. In 2022, he was shortlisted for the prestigious LVMH Prize, and in 2023, was selected for Forbes Europe’s “30 under 30” list and appointed as ambassador for Nona Source.
Other projects found at the Fashion Hub included “Beyond the Visible,” “Fashion Beyond: Trends Go Global” and “Heritage Next: Glowing Milano.”
“Beyond the Visible,” created in collaboration with partner Certilogo, provided a dynamic, immersive space that invited the public to look “beyond what can be seen” in fashion. The project involved two next-generation brands — Made for a Woman and ViaPiave33 — selected for their strong commitment to environmental responsibility, social impact and creative vision.
Thanks to technology, visitors saw how traceability and authenticity take shape. Every item on display had a Digital Product Passport (DPP) developed by Certilogo, offering a digital gateway to access information on origin, sustainability and authenticity. Visitors tried out an interactive demonstration showing how data can be turned into trust and transparency, thus redefining relationships between people, products, values and technology.
“Fashion Beyond: Trends Go Global,” held in partnership with DHL and the Milano Fashion Institute (MFI), featured an exclusive selection of five outfits created by young students at the Milano Fashion Institute, CNMI’s business school that explores management and administrative aspects of processes in the Italian and international fashion system.
The outfits were inspired by the most promising emerging markets for Made in Italy according to DHL: Greater China (China, Hong Kong, Macao), United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Mexico and South Africa. Every creation told a story that illustrated its creative vision, market trends and strategic levers for successfully exporting to the countries in question. The project was curated by Roberto Liberti, scientific director of the Master’s in Fashion Direction at MFI and scientific director of the Vanvitelli/MFI committee; Pina Pirozzi, fashion designer and coordinator of the Ready to Wear Design course, and by CNMI.
“Heritage Next: Glowing Milano,” promoted by WWD China, brought an intercultural fashion exhibition to the Fashion Hub, presented by WWD China. This showcase explored the dialogue between tradition and contemporary design, and featured 11 looks by designers including Angel Chen, Ao Yes, Chicjoc, Leaf Xia, Raxxy, Ruohan, Susan Fang and Ya Yi, together with a garment by Rosalie Huang.
The exhibition highlighted the fusion of tradition and modernity, East and West, and art and technology — all through the innovative use of traditional craftsmanship. “Heritage Next: Glowing Milano” also organized the talks “Sustainable Fashion and Innovative Practices” and “Decoding the Chinese Market: The Global Stage for a New Generation of Designers.”
The VIP Lounge by Kartell in Palazzo Giureconsulti was open for the entire week of the Fashion Hub. This space was specifically designed for national and international operators to enjoy an immersive experience between fashion and design. Inside, the Lounge was enriched with new couches from Patricia Urquiola’s Aland series and lighting by Philippe Starck (including the striking Khan lamp and the Angelo Stone freestanding lamp). Outside, creations by Ludovica Serafini + Roberto Palomba graced the space with elegance and functionality. Additional acknowledgments include Bonaveri for creating the custom mannequins and being the Fashion Hub’s technical sponsor, and Moiraè, Stamart, Modia Romano Embroidery and Duecci Guanti for making the outfits for the “Fashion Beyond: Trends Go Global” project.