Fashion, luxury labels more involved than ever in Milan's Week

For a week, the eyes of all creatives will receive training in the city of Milan, home from the design week from April 7 to 13. This year, the event will be as wide as never before. There is the Salone del Mobile (Furniture Fair), the main event, whose 63rd edition will take place from April 8 to 13 at the exhibition center of the city of Fieramilano, which organizes more than 2,100 exhibitors from 37 countries. And the Fuorisalone, a program of parallel initiatives scattered throughout the city and included more than 1,650 events, 20.5% more than last year. Fashion and luxury labels will participate massively in the program, be extremely interested in taking advantage of this great event and the hum that generates to increase its visibility.

The Italian fashion chamber (CNMI) has published its own 'Milano Moda Design' calendar for the week, with 38 events of 29 labels. Eleven of them will exhibit their home decoration line, while the others are ad hoc initiatives, most of the time held in the store. This year, labels such as Brioni, Buccellati, Jil Sander, Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton will join the CNMI calendar for the first time.

Many of the fashion events of the week only have a dim bond with the world of furniture design, and are mainly an excuse to participate in the week of Milan's design, making the presence of labels feel. Given the large number of events, highly prestigious labels and even mass market brands are competing for finding the most unusual means and ideas to highlight in the crowd. For example, Japanese retailer Muji has joined forces this year with agency's designers 5 ∙ 5, building a homemade manifesto inspired by Japanese architecture and located in a public garden.

Special projects

Some leading luxury names will have important facilities that show their home decoration collections, such as Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Missoni, Elie Saab and Karl Lagerfeld. Instead, others have chosen to organize special projects, for example, the exhibition 'Saint Laurent-Charlotte Perriand', the interesting initiative of Gucci with Bamboo theme and the multidisciplinary symposium 'Prada Frames' with its extensive time of conferences, an event that has been organized by the Milanese label during the design week since 2022.

Many labels seem to favor initiatives with an experimental dimension and a human touch, adopting a more discreet approach. Trussardi will transform the exhibition room of its furniture line in a place of coexistence, where the public can enjoy all kinds of events, from workshops to live performances, brunches and even a bicycle race.

The stores will be in the heart of things again, such as places for immersive experiences and to see the world of labels through a novel perspective. Christian Dior is one of the labels that this quite minimalist approach has chosen. There is no important installation, only a presentation in its Milanese store of three giant vases of the French designer Sam Baron, who will be present in person one morning.

Other labels will give an additional dimension to their stores through a variety of activations. The MSGM store will become a kind of literary hall, organizing an emerging version of the Berlin bookstore, do you read me, as well as several debates? The Fratelli Rossetti footwear brand will offer a gourmet experience to its fans, associating with Casa Marrazo sauce producer and the Mimosa Mosasi chef for tastings in stores.

In Ferragamo, a craftsman will be present throughout the week to demonstrate the various stages necessary to produce the shoes of men of the label, while Etro will submerge his store in the dark to organize a unique arnica presentation, the jacquard fabric with the reason for the tag.