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
Diesel Black Gold to Show Women’s Collections in Milan
The brand will relocate its show from New York to Milan starting in February.
Moschino’s Squeaky Clean New Scent
The newest fragrance of the Italian fashion brand comes in a household cleaner bottle, called Moschino Fresh.
Aesop Opens First Italian Store in Milan
The Australian natural cosmetics company Aesop inaugurated its first Italian store during Milan Fashion Week.
WWD Recommends
Vogue China Celebrates 10th Birthday in Milan
Giorgio Armani and Jeremy Scott were among designers who toured a photo display.
Vivetta RTW Spring 2016
Vivetta Ponti showed a lively collection strongly rooted in her childlike, whimsical aesthetic.
Giorgio Armani: No Successor ‘On the Horizon’
The designer talks about his new autobiographical book.
Herno RTW Spring 2016
The outwear label introduced new ranges based on both its heritage and new innovative technologies.
Giorgio Armani RTW Spring 2016
Giorgio Armani set sail with a jaunty nautical motif — a palette of red, white and blue incorporating…
John Richmond RTW Spring 2016
The British designer embraced see-through dresses, skirts and shorts that left little to the imagination.
Arthur Arbesser RTW Spring 2016
Despite a naïve charm, Arthur Arbesser's first runway collection in Milan needed more development.
Krizia RTW Spring 2016
Creative director Zhu Chongyun chose an aquatic theme for her second Krizia collection, playing with digital…
Winonah RTW Spring 2016
Winonah de Jong channeled a resort mood for spring, showing daywear in lightweight striped linen and evening…
Kiton RTW Spring 2016
Kiton borrowed from the boys, transplanting necktie silks into bow blouses and cropped trousers, while…
Damir Doma RTW Spring 2016
Catalan artist Antoni Tàpies' "matter paintings" informed this collection, which was rich in volume and…
Au Jour Le Jour RTW Spring 2016
Mirko Fontana and Diego Marquez offered a "Dash" of campy, cartoonish style on their spring runway.