We’re deep into SS26 at this point. We had our fun at NYFW, LFW popped off with designers breathing new life to the London fashion scene – did you see Susan Fang’s insane collection? Next stop, Milan.
Demna unveiled his Gucci debut with a short film featuring an all-star cast including Demi Moore and Alex Consani; Jil Sander soft-launched its new era, Fendi came in colours, KNWLS linked up with Nike for its SS26 runway, and Diesel sent us on an egg hunt. Keep on reading for everything you might have missed from MFW.
Diesel
Glenn Martens is a creative genius, there’s no doubt about that. His Maison Margiela couture debut will go down in history. But let’s not forget he’s the mastermind behind the insanity of Diesel. No, honestly, his sets get crazier every season. For SS26, he encased his models into glass egg pods in the middle of Milan, and sent us on an egg hunt to find the 55 runway looks.
In a recent interview with BoF, Martens said: “Social media has turned fashion into the Hunger Games”. If that’s the case, Glenn is winning.
KNWLS
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London-based designer KNWLS brought vibes to Milan, showing for the first time in the city, the brand picked industrial space Padiglione Visconti, building a brutalist set with techno beats pumping in the soundtrack. The SS26 collection brought a Nike collab to the club, with futuristic, performance-based pieces such as scuba jackets, intricate cut-outs, a Nike version of KNWLS’s cult Razr bag, and a new corsetry-inspired take on the Air Max Muse.
The collection pushed the boundaries of women’s sportswear, creating a unique hybrid of medieval armour meets space-mod futurism.
Jil Sander
In a season filled with designer debuts, Jil Sander’s new creative director Simone Bellotti revealed his inaugural collection yesterday in the most Jil Sander way. In an interview with WWD, Bellotti described his collection as “apparent simplicity”, adding that “this is a brand that needs to be studied, and you need to take time. You need to learn about this elegance.”
The designer paid homage to the house’s minimalist heritage – after all, Jil Sander was one of the pioneers of minimalism in fashion, taking inspiration from Bauhaus architecture. The collection was filled with clean lines, sheer textures and geometrical details in greys, blacks and Yves Klein blues.
Gucci
Arguably the most anticipated debut of the season, Demna’s Gucci is here. The Georgian designer shocked the world when he departed from Balenciaga to join Gucci earlier this year, but his move didn’t let us down. Demna broke free of conventional collections, taking a clever approach by introducing different characters with his “La Famiglia” lookbook – meaning that he could get away with exploring different house codes and Gucci eras in one go. His 40 Gucci archetypes tapped into different Italian personas: La Diva, La Drama Queen, Principino, Bastardo, and more. He referenced Tom Ford’s Gucci (remember when he sent men in thongs down the runway?) with Pesantone, Bastardo and Ragazzo; he brought 60s Gucci to life with La V.I.C., maximising the Gucci monogram to an all-over print (we did say he might do that); and he nodded to Alessandro Michele with pussybows and flower prints.
But that wasn’t all. Demna linked up with directors Spike Jonze (Her, Being John Malkovich) and Halina Reijn (the director behind Babygirl and Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) for The Tiger, a short film starring Demi Moore (who plays Barbara Gucci, head of Gucci International, and owner of the State of California), Edward Norton, Keke Palmer, Alex Consani, Kendall Jenner, and many more showing off the new collection.
At the film’s Milan premiere, “La Famiglia” came to life with Alex Consani as La Bomba giving us everything for socials and Gwyneth Paltrow showing up as the IRL embodiment of La V.I.P.
Watch Gucci’s The Tiger below:
MCM
MCM will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, and SS26 is only the start of the party. The new season honoured MCM’s heritage with its signature leather goods but also looked to the future.
The brand’s global chief brand officer Dirk Schönberger took typical codes and transformed them into an elevated capsule wardrobe. Schönberger was inspired by today’s fast-paced lifestyles and brought tailored and constructed pieces for people on the move, taking elements from Taekwondo uniforms and martial arts-wear.
MM6 Maison Margiela
MM6’s new collection was shown on a Milan street with a painted runway. The Maison Margiela sister-brand breathed new air to the concept of streetwear. Mesh fabrics in skirts and knee-high socks, structured stone-washed leather jackets and subverted trenches walked on the make-believe runway, as well as breezy tailoring and utilitywear. Typical MM6 motifs appeared through trompe l’oeil off-shoulder necklines with mesh details, and deconstructive elements. This season MM6 also introduced a new, slimmer take on Maison Margiela’s cult L’Incognito sunglasses, a shield from whatever you encounter on the city streets.
Loro Piana
For SS26, the Italian house looked to colours. The quiet luxury master, known for its utmost quality, fabric innovation and excellent neutrals, took its mastery beyond its minimalist comfort zone.
Inherently embracing its legacy, the Italian Maison explored a summer in the outdoors, introducing sailing-inspired looks with breezy fabrics, stripes, boat shoes, peacoats and graphic prints, as well as its archetypical cashmeres and signature pieces.
Ferrari
Ferrari took over its Ferrari Officina, the workshop where the car arm of the brand usually works on its cars, to host its SS26 show today in Milan. With Amelia Gray and Kit Butler walking, and Kanawut Traipipattanapong on the FROW, the show was refined and elevated.
On the runway, we saw painted leathers made to look like faded denim brown denim, essential crisp, white tailoring, and bold flashes of the iconic Ferrari red.
Emporio Armani
With designer Giorgio Armani passing away earlier this month aged 91, there was a bittersweet energy at the Emporio show. This Sunday’s Giorgio Armani show (which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the house) will be Mr Armani’s official goodbye, but Emporio’s collection titled “Ritorni” (meaning Returns) brought a sentimental tease to Sunday’s presentation.
“Ritorni” was a continuation to last season’s vacation collection, with the concept of these would be the pieces you’d wear after you come back from your summer holidays. The maestro’s practical minimalism in the womenswear was present in his signature tailored separates, the pieces flowing with ease. However, amid the more classic tailoring pieces of wide-legged pleated trousers and louche shirts, there was a sprinkle of fun with shimmering bras, sheer fabrics and parachute pants in periwinkle hues.
Fendi
Fendi’s creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi seems to have grown tired of minimalism. Her SS26 collection steered to a vibrant new era, embracing a kaleidoscope of colours and floral motifs, showing off her technical craftsmanship with intricate embellishments, prints, and fur-trim details.
The main characters of the show however were the brand’s legendary bags that were transformed into new, playful iterations. The Peekaboo was spotted with sequins while other classics featured scrunched techniques, wooden beadings, fur designs, woven elements, and fried egg-shaped bag charms – what’s with the egg theme this season?
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce and Gabbana SS26 was for the girls that want to chill. No, for real, the collection was full of loungewear. The show started with striped baby blue embellished pyjama sets, as well as pinstripe and black tailoring. There were fur bags and fur trimmed slipper-style shoes. You could also spot bags with slogans like “Please do not disturb”.
They must’ve had a wind machine on the runway because the models’ smooth blowouts were blowing in the wind. Signature Dolce pieces like slip dresses, lace camisoles and bralettes, sheer florals and corsets with classic Dolce and Gabbana lacing made an appearance, and they were styled with thigh-high socks and boots, and gold jewellery. And leopard print had to show up, it’s Dolce after all.
Oh, and The Devil Wears Prada cast (Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Simone Ashley) was sitting front row in character. They went full method.
Featured image Gucci©
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