At Milan Fashion Week, hope for hard times
Julianne Moore had a bear. Asap Rocky a rooster. And Kendall Jenner a horse. I’m talking about the animal-shaped beanbag seats at Bottega Veneta, which, comically, were said to be tailored to each guest. Created by Italian furniture company Zanotta, the seats were a spin on its famous Sacco armchairs.
Backstage, Bottega Veneta designer Matthieu Blazy reflected on feelings of childhood wonder and spontaneity, and his desire to reinterpret that for spring/summer 2025. He imagined a child playing dress-up in adult clothes; or a parent in a perfect suit, their sartorial elegance disturbed by a kid’s backpack tossed over their shoulder.
Those thoughts explain the lopsidedness of some looks: a hybrid trouser-skirt with only one trouser leg, or a smart suit paired with a garish pink-and-purple backpack with bunnies on top. “Do we like the bag? I don’t know,” said Blazy. “Does it tell you a story? Yes.”
Blazy felt that his last show in February “was maybe more contemplative and looking at what was happening in the world” — so this season, he sought to uplift, by celebrating “the simple act of fashion that happens every day” and creating moments that “feel playful and bring joy”. He also continued to prioritise material innovation, creating delicious pieces made from subverted fabrics, such as merino wool woven into jacquards to imitate denim. What appeared to be plastic bags, carried by models as if on a grocery run, were in fact nylon and heat-sealed leather.
The richness, playfulness and depth of Blazy’s collections set the designer apart from his peers, and will hopefully keep driving Bottega Veneta’s sales, which dipped at the end of 2023 but have since rebounded.
Elsewhere in Milan, themes of hope, joy and purpose seem to be recurring. Donatella Versace, too, spoke of instilling a sense of optimism “when the world is upside down and there is bad news,” as she gave journalists a preview of her designs, dressed in a cherry-red suit (instead of her usual black).
What that looks like for the Italian designer is a move away from last season’s feisty punk aesthetic in favour of lighter, more colourful styles inspired by the Seventies. That included retro-looking wave jacquard cardigans paired with floral dresses — one was made entirely of metal mesh and covered in a poppy print. The colour pairing of some looks, like the brown, yellow and blue dress worn with red stockings by Gigi Hadid, was eccentric. Versace described it as “a beautiful moment, with happiness. I think sometimes fashion wants to [be] intellectual. You can do that. But I want to develop positivity.”
At Diesel, creative director Glenn Martens had a different kind of message that was not subliminal in any sense. The show venue’s floors and walls were covered in 14,800kg of denim offcuts, while a looping soundtrack emphasised the origins of indigo and its harmful manufacturing and dye processes. All was intended to highlight the OTB-owned label’s efforts to reduce waste. Martens happily shared the statistic that on joining the company, only 3 per cent of its denim was made from organic, recycled and regenerative fibres; today it is 57 per cent. And it remains one of Diesel’s top-selling categories.
Stats aside, Martens understands Diesel well and the demands of its largely young customer base. Such is evident in his open-arms approach — from the live broadcasts from the studio each season, offering online viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of a fashion show, to the designs themselves which, he emphasised, are made to be worn and lived in, and not stored away or treated too preciously. Denim, he believes, exemplifies this, and so, he focused largely on the fabric, manipulating it to create distressed and double weft styles, or coating it so it appeared like leather.
One looming question is what else Martens plans to do with his prowess in material manipulation. The designer, who has been with Diesel since 2020, recently announced that he would stop his other design gig for Y/Project after 11 years. Asked about the catalyst for this decision, Martens said it had been “a long ride already”, and that the recent death of his mother (as well as Y/Project’s co-founder Gilles Elalouf who had been responsible for hiring him) was a sign to explore “something fresh,” before hastily pledging his continued commitment to Diesel — “at least for this season,” he joked. More to come then.
Moschino designer Adrian Appiolaza may only be into his second womenswear season, but from the outset his humorous and playful flourishes have felt right at home. For spring/summer 2025 his show took place on the outskirts of the city, but the trip was worth it: opening the show were models draped in white sheets and carrying bags resembling household items, like a silver teapot or a bottle of laundry detergent — the kind of silly, loveable touches that have come to define Moschino. Then there were suits covered with the words “What’s up!” and T-shirts proclaiming “Get happy”, a collaboration with British art director and i-D magazine founder Terry Jones. Other highlights included entire dresses sewn on to the back of simple black looks, and brand signatures such as polka dots and trompe l’oeil prints.
The most deafening screams could be heard outside Dolce & Gabbana as fans outside showed their enthusiasm for the brand’s global ambassador, Korean actress and model Moon Ga-young. But better known to a western audience was Madonna, who attended wearing a gold crown and a black veil that fully covered her face. Her 1990 Blond Ambition tour wardrobe, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, served as the inspiration for Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who had spent time with the singer this summer. There were cone bras and garters that swung from corsets and trousers — looks that one could also imagine on Miley Cyrus, whose face as part of the autumn/winter 2024 campaign loomed large in the brand’s headquarters when I paid a visit.
Strong offerings abound at Tod’s, Ferragamo and Bally, proving that fresh blood can help to reinvigorate heritage houses. To the untrained eye, the stealth wealth design attitudes might appear similar, but each designer — Matteo Tamburini at Tod’s, Maximilian Davis at Ferragamo and Simone Bellotti at Bally — has developed a distinct aesthetic for their respective brands. Tamburini’s second collection felt clean, modern and cohesive; Davis continued his journey to make Ferragamo feel relatable — this season it was through a ballet theme and the products had wide appeal; and Bellotti once more imbued Bally with a quirky formality that might look awkward or bland on a digital screen but works in the physical world.
It’s still early-ish days for these designers, who must contend with new leadership arrangements. From Bally’s new owners (it changed hands in August from JAB Holding Company to Escada owner Regent, a US-based investment firm) to a recently delisted Tod’s, one hopes that caution will not stand in the way of future creativity and innovation.
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