Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week is one of the "Big Four" fashion weeks alongside New York, London and Paris Fashion Weeks. Spring collections are historically shown in September, while fall collections are historically shown in February. Milan falls as a the third major fashion week during Fashion Month, following New York and London, and before Paris. The main venue for Milan Fashion Week is the Milan Fashion Hub, though many designers show off-site.
In 1958, the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italia (National Chamber of Italian Fashion) was formed, with a mission to promote Italian design. Italian brands began to rise in prominence because they were more affordable than their Parisian counterparts.
At the time, many of Italy's major cities were in competition with each other for who would become Italy's fashion capital. Milan began to edge out some of its competitors, like Rome and Florence, thanks to strong links to manufacturing and the growth in ready-to-wear. In the '70s and '80s, the success of Milan-based designers, including Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace, helped to solidify Milan's place as a fashion capital.
Versace, in particular, drew attention to Milan during fashion week, casting supermodels such as Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford in his shows.
Today, many major brands show collections at Milan Fashion Week, including Gucci, Fendi, Bottega Veneta, Missoni, Ferragamo and Etro, as well as Giorgio Armani and Versace.
Historic moments at Milan Fashion Week have included Tom Ford's 1994 debut show for Gucci, which began a revival for the then-stagnant brand. There was also Miuccia Prada's 1996 show featuring dull greens, browns and purples, contributing to the ugly-chic era of '90s fashion. More recently, at Versace's spring 2018 runway show, Donatella Versace brought back the '90s with the era's supermodels, including Crawford, Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni and Helena Christensen, who walked in the show.
Milan Fashion Week
Moncler Genius RTW Spring 2019
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Moschino RTW Spring 2019
Jeremy Scott's seasonal gag was the speed of the fashion system — so fast he barely had time to finish the…
Emporio Armani RTW Spring 2019
The runway show was big and long — with more than 200 spring looks making their way down the catwalk in the…
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Fabiana Filippi RTW Spring 2019
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F.R.S. RTW Spring 2019
A trip into the Eastern world served as inspiration for Francesca Ruffini's elegant collection.
Raquel Diniz RTW Spring 2019
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Anteprima RTW Spring 2019
Plastic accents and sporty influences contributed to the collection's young and fun attitude.
Tiziano Guardini RTW Spring 2019
The designer crafted sustainable materials for a young and fun lineup, focused on colorful daywear.
Max Mara RTW Spring 2019
Ian Griffiths dug into the house's 1980s archives and didn't have to mess with much — it stands up.
Alberta Ferretti RTW Spring 2019
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