Milan gears up for a action-packed fashion week

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Sep 17, 2013

From 18 to 23 September, Milan will play host to 132 labels who will be taking to the runway to present their spring-summer 2014 collections. With an added extra day and a refreshing mix of emergent and established names, Milan Fashion Week looks set to be a big event.

Dsquared2 and Gucci will kick things off on Wednesday followed by Prada and Fendi on Thursday and Antonio Marras, Trussardi and Versace on Friday. Big names Bottegga Veneta, Roberto Cavalli will show on Saturday alongside Moschino, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a special collection drawing on some of the brand’s most iconic pieces. Sunday will see Marni and Missoni saunter down the catwalk as well as Dolce & Gabbana, who will present their collection outside of the official Milan Fashion Week calendar. Giorgio Armani and Gianfranco Ferrè will bring the event to an end on Monday.

Costume National will make a return the Milan podiums on 19 September, after a 22-year stint in Paris. Designer at the Italian brand Ennio Capasa decided to bring the brand back to home territories in support of the ‘Made in Italy’ movement, a subject close to the hearts of the Italian chamber of fashion as it tries to reinforce Milan’s place as a fashion capital after losing some of the spotlight to Paris, London and New York over recent years.

And as one brand comes home, another leaves: Ter et Bantine, which has been firmly on the Milan calendar for 20 years, will be migrating to Paris for this season in order to seek out the big buyers and ensure the brand receives maximum visibility.

Six new names have entered the Milan Fashion Week calendar this season, including several young, foreign designers such as Greek Angelos Bratis, Chinese Uma Wang and German Philip Plein, who made his Milan debut in June with his menswear collection. Italian designers MSGM and Fausto Puglisi (creative director at Ungaro) have also joined the schedule.

The Diego Della Valle group, which owns brands Tod’s and Fay, will also partake in the even with a ‘show-presentation’ - an event not to be missed as Tod’s presents its first womenswear collection under the direction of new creative director Alessandra Facchinetti.

Alongside the event, trade show White has organised a runway show in the Castello Sforzexco for young Sicilian designer Ludovica Amati on Saturday. The following day will see German porcelain manufacturer Meissen present its first ever couture collection.

Outside of the official schedule, the city of Milan will be dotted with various parties, events and performances. Festivities started on 17 September with Vogue Fashion’s Night Out but Condé Nast has also organized a gala event for designers and buyers on 18 September at the famed La Scala theatre. Putting on special performance for the event is tenor Vittorio Grigolo.

Exhibitions and other events will pepper the calendar for the remainder of the week. Also on the agenda are several store openings, the epicenter being in luxurious via Montenapoleone and via Sant’Andrea areas, where a dozen labels will be celebrating their respective store openings, renovations and restructurings, amongst those Hermès, Fendi, Ferragamo, Bottgea Veneta and Giada. Kate Moss will also be making a special appearance to celebrate the opening on Italy’s first Stuart Weitzman store.