Beginning on Wednesday, Milan design Week will feature the biggest names in Italian design, and everyone is eagerly awaiting the debut of Gucci’s new creative director’s first collection.
In the northern Italian city, around 70 runway events are scheduled over six days, with spring-summer 2024 collections from Fendi, Prada, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta, and Giorgio Armani among those participating.
The Gucci show on Friday, the first under the new artistic director Sabato De Sarno, is the most sought-after ticket in town.
The Italian was chosen in January to succeed renowned fashion designer Alessandro Michele. Previously, he oversaw the men’s and women’s collections at Valentino.
As it struggles with stagnant sales, the storied company, owned by French luxury firm Kering, has also seen the retirement of longtime CEO Marco Bizzarri.
Other newcomers this week include Simone Bellotti, who became design director at Bally, and Tom Ford, which makes its Milan premiere under the direction of Peter Hawkings.
Off the runway, 76 presentations and 33 activities are scheduled, including a celebration of Moschino’s 40th anniversary.
The renowned puffer jacket manufacturer Moncler will unveil its newest line on Wednesday in partnership with musician-turned-designer Pharrell Williams, who made his Louis Vuitton debut in Paris in June.
And Diesel is continuing a successful experiment that was tried out last year with an event on Wednesday to which regular people could buy tickets.
The national fashion chamber of Italy reported a 7% increase in industry revenues for the first half of 2023.
“We estimate annual sales to increase by 4.5 percent compared to 2022, at more than 103 billion euros ($110 billion),” said chamber president Carlo Capasa.
Exports are forecast to be up six percent over the year. Between January and May, exports to China and Japan were up more than 18 percent.
Matteo Zoppas, head of Italy’s trade and investment agency, said the “Made in Italy” brand remained strong.
“Compared to general growth in Italian exports of 4.8 percent in the first five months of 2023, fashion exports rose 7.4 percent in the same period — and female fashion was up 11.4 percent,” he said in a statement.
