Despite the countless creative director shake-ups that defined the start of the year, the Lombardian capital delivered an extraordinary week filled with historical references, reinvention, political messaging, and mindblowing parties (yes, pointing at you, DSQUARED). While the Menswear shows in January may have felt a bit subdued, the Womenswear presentations compromised for it all. With Paris Fashion Week looming, let’s dive into the highlights of Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025. Cover image: courtesy of Blumarine, MGSM, DSquared, Fiorucci
Also, read: BERLIN FASHION WEEK’S TALENT TO HAVE ON YOUR RADAR
MILAN FASHION WEEK FALL/WINTER 2025
Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025 is over, leaving us with one certainty: next fall, we’ll all wear faux fur. According to Tagwalk, faux fur increased by 996% this Milan Fashion Week compared to last winter. Other trends: waist belts rose by 191%, midi skirts by 93%, and light pink by 6%. On the other side of the spectrum, fashion will say ciao for now to micro shorts, khaki (despite the rise of green at Gucci), draped silhouettes, and boudoir influences.
Besides the trends, there were some remarkable events, from Fendi’s 100th anniversary – including Fendi’s grandchildren opening the show – to Prada’s new take on femininity and Gucci’s in-between collection. It made us wonder: is Gucci’s new creative director already part of the team? And what’s the worth of a “famous” creative director? Is it time for fashion to move back to times when creative directors didn’t have as prominent a role as they occupy nowadays? The biggest fashion houses (Gucci, Saint Laurent, Chanel, etc.) have enough heritage to revert to, and a prominent figure at the creative helm might derive from a house’s core. It’s a wild thought when everything’s about social media and online presence. A well-known creative might be a solution (Pharrell and, more recently, A$AP Rocky proof the theory) for a house that wishes to boost sales. Still, at the same time, there’s something to say for steadiness, like is the case with MM6 Maison Margiela, operating under an anonymous creative director. And, of course, the same holds for the Miuccia Prada effect, still at the helm of Miu Miu and Prada, staying true to the core of these houses. Food for thought, overall, and there might not be a one-size-fits-all solution to the quest. Until we’ve found an answer, discover the best of Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025 below.
FENDI’S 100TH BIRTHDAY
Silvia Venturini Fendi’s centennial collection started with what soon would become fashion week’s cutest moment. Honoring five generations of Fendi craftsmanship, the show was a love letter to the house’s legacy without falling into repetition. And where it did, it was very welcome. The outerwear felt effortlessly powerful, showing off what Italian designers are best at: tailoring. The shearlings mimicked the textures of furs (the house once known for) through “intarsia” techniques, and rich hues of laurel green, cinnamon, and buttermilk painted a romantic vision of Rome at dusk. Venturini Fendi didn’t entirely rely on nostalgia but reimagined the essence of “her” Fendi: a balance of fun, sensuality, and rigor. “Who needs Kim Jones, anyway?” people wondered on social media, underscoring Fendi’s masterful way to build on the house’s legacy.
PRADA’S “RAW GLAMOUR”
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons continued their approach to design with a collection that blurred the line between refinement and rawness. In “Raw Glamour,” proportions were distorted—waists dropped, pleats jutted out sharply, and bows transformed into architectural statements that reminded us of Cara Delevinge’s early heydays. It was an ode to deconstruction, where unfinished hems and aged embellishments refer to the decay of bourgeois elegance. The 1960s silhouette—stiff, boxy, and, above all, very unflattering—emerged as the season’s common thread. Undoubtedly, this was a rebellion against the conventional views of femininity, developed by rebel avant la letter Miuccia Prada. Prada thrives in intellectual subversion, and this season, Miuccia and Raf made a compelling case for beauty found in imperfection. After all, what exactly does feminity mean in these “modern” times?
DSQUARED2 HOSTED HOTTEST PARTY OF THE SEASON
Leave it to Dean and Dan Caten to throw Milan Fashion Week’s hottest party. In celebration of their brand’s 30th anniversary, Dsquared2 turned their runway into a full-blown celebration without compromising the clothes, set design, or celebrities. Doechii emerged from a dollar-filled armored tank, Tyson Beckford and Naomi Campbell made a powerful appearance (Naomi’s hair was one for in the books!), and Brigitte Nielsen made a dramatic entrance as a police officer—only to “arrest” the designers before a wild afterparty would take off. Collaborations with Magliano, Vaquera, and Ducati gave the collection fresh energy. And so, Dsquared2’s fearless, irreverent DNA remains intact and only gets stronger as the brand enters its thirties.
GUCCI’S TRANSITIONAL COLLECTION
With Sabato De Sarno’s abrupt departure, all eyes were on Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection to decipher the brand’s next move, according to the house, yet to be decided. Designed by the in-house team, the collection was a paradox: a tribute to the house’s past, including iconic references, yet a statement of the future. The oversized horse-bit necklace—Gucci’s eternal emblem—had a playful protagonist role, adorning everything from bags to belts and even jewelry. While the collection included hints of Prada’s color schemes and Loewe’s over-the-top footwear, it proved Gucci’s ability to reinvent itself. With no official successor announced, speculation runs wild—could Hedi Slimane be on his way?
JIL SANDER’S FAREWELL SHOW BY LUKE AND LUCIE MEYER
Lucie and Luke Meier’s final collection for Jil Sander was a poetic swan song. The black runway, punctuated by hyper-real lighting, simultaneously set the stage for a collection centered around darkness and illumination. Steel studs and eyelets punctuated leather jackets, while delicate floral prints emerged from the shadows of lean, long silhouettes. It felt like they had similar thoughts about femininity as Prada’s Miuccia and Raf: what does femininity look like in 2025? And should it be defined by one single image? The short answer is no. The creative director duo showed it with raw edges and the precise tailoring Jil Sander nails season after season. An underlying sense of emotion marked this as one of the duo’s most personal collections to date—a bit of an emotional goodbye, if you will.
MM6 MAISON MARGIELA’S SCALE AND STRUCTURE
MM6 continued its mission of redefining wardrobe staples by playing with scale and structure. Classic garments—trench coats, polo shirts, tailored suits—were deconstructed (a classic Margiela trick!) and reimagined through strategic alterations. Some pieces expanded with dramatic panels, while others shrank into compressed, second-skin silhouettes. Accessories took on surreal forms: pumps with fake stockings, wristwatches worn as bracelets, and long gloves that draped like sculpture—all equally satisfying to watch. Overall, the collection formed an ode to personal freedom, urging wearers to dictate their narrative—an awe-inspiring collection with an anonymous creative director in charge.
VERSACE’S ODE TO THE PAST AND PRESENT
Donatella Versace paid homage to the house’s heydays, drawing inspiration from Gianni Versace’s ballet costumes, 1997-1998 Atelier Versace collections, and even its debut into interior design. Bold, dramatic, and dripping in rock ‘n’ roll energy, the collection was a fusion of heritage and modern empowerment. Over-the-top prints were flawlessly accompanied by sharp tailoring, dramatic volumes, and exceptional techniques for Versace’s ready-to-wear shows. “I’m not following any rules. Only the rules of the Versace DNA,” Donatella summed it up.
AVAVAV “UNEARTHED”
AVAVAV’s FW25 show at Milan Fashion Week was a theatrical descent into the unknown—models clawed their way out of grave-like holes, emerging onto a grass-covered runway as smoke filled the air. Titled “The Hole,“ the collection confronted death anxiety and the fragility of existence with a mix of feminine tailoring and gothic streetwear. “Rather than letting this fear consume me, I chose to channel it into this collection,” shared creative director Beate Skonare Karlsson, reflecting on her struggles.
MSGM
MSGM’s FW25 collection redefines lightness, proving it is anything but superficial. Presented in an avant-garde setting that blurs the lines between fashion and contemporary art, the collection plays with visibility and illusion, layering textures to create a weightless yet emotionally resonant aesthetic. Inspired by artist Alberonero’s ethereal tulle work and Caterina Frongia’s poetic textiles, the collection fuses dreamlike transparencies with structured jacquards. “Lightness is not superficiality” becomes a tangible philosophy, expressed through fluid silhouettes, gorp-core influences, and electrifying red, acid-yellow, and pink hues. Again, a strong take on femininity.
BLUMARINE
Blumarine’s FW25 collection is a remarkable, powerful love letter to the dark romance of Italian cinema. Recently appointed creative director David Koma channels the sensual mystique of Sicily, developing a heroine who embodies rigor and romanticism. A palette of blood red and deep black mirrors the volcanic intensity of Stromboli, while Sicilian thistle motifs bloom across prints and embellishments. Corseted coats, Chantilly lace-bonded crinolines, and sculptural scuba silhouettes weave a tale of allure and restraint. With metallic accents and ethereal embroidery, Blumarine FW25 is a spellbinding interplay of structure, seduction, and silver-screen drama. A great debut, overall.
