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
Missoni RTW Fall 2018
For fall, Angela Missoni looked to late Seventies/early Eighties New York, which she called "a moment of…
Dodo Bar Or and Ada Kokosar Team Up for Dodo by Midnight Line
The capsule collection of clothing and shoes is a cross between "Dynasty" and Barbie's closet.
First Short Film Produced by Giorgio Armani Unveiled During MFW
The film, titled "A Jacket" was centered on the item of clothing that helped Armani build his global business…
Antonio Berardi RTW Fall 2018
The designer marked his Milanese comeback with a collection showing a balance between soft shapes and…
Shailene Woodley Attends Salvatore Ferragamo Show
The actress talked about her film "Adrift" and the unexpected second series of "Big Little Lies."
Salvatore Ferragamo RTW Fall 2018
It was meant to be a fresh day for the house, with two young designers injecting the brand with the energy…
Christian Pellizzari RTW Fall 2018
Get your sunglasses ready, because this was one bright and busy coed collection, with colorblocks, painted…
Vionnet RTW Fall 2018
"It's the metamorphosis of the mermaid, the story of a daring woman who's ready for change," said a…
Versace RTW Fall 2018
For fall, Donatella Versace celebrated her brand's clans with a tartan fest and flamboyance.
Tod’s RTW Fall 2018
Tod's is targeting a younger customer and refreshing its core leather business.
Golden Goose Deluxe Brand RTW Fall 2018
A trip to the family's house in the mountains inspired this cool collection of cozy, wearable pieces.
Daizy Shely RTW Fall 2018
Daizy Shely's fall collection had the makings of the kind of bad-taste, Nineties nostalgia, club-kid thing…
Antonio Marras RTW Fall 2018
Marras does not suffer any sort of creative block — his show clocked in at 92 looks.
Anteprima RTW Fall 2018
Bigger was better for Izumi Ogino, whose collection was an ode to the oversize and to generous silhouettes.
Blumarine RTW Fall 2018
One of the few Milan designers to address the sexual harassment scandal that's steamrolling across various…