Tod's, Loro Piana and Valextra

Italian brands have weathered the crisis by concentrating on classic ideas, playing with their archives but subtly updating them. Three good examples on Friday in Milan: Tod's, Loro Piana and Valextra.

Tod's: A walk through Lorenzo Quinn

A cloudy Friday morning in northern Italy and a dark colour palette at the Tod's show staged in a rusty old factory in northern Milan.

Yet it is an ideal setting for a brilliant art installation by Lorenzo Quinn, a pair of three-metre-wide ribbons that undulated and intertwined over 70 metres, both held by two enormous white hands, underlining Tod's key DNA: a community of skilled craftsmen in its eastern home region of Le Marche.

Next to her was a 50-metre-long table, where around twenty craftsmen were carefully sewing new pairs of moccasins with brown gommino studs.

Around Quinn’s play, the cast walked languidly as if on an evening stroll. In a season of monochrome, this was another largely print-free collection, cut with considerable volume. It began with a series of oversized cargo pants and surgical gowns in leather; mini-capelets finished with funnel necklines; cocoon-shaped blouses and a rather wonderful poncho. Thanks to careful selection and clever treatments, all the leather looked opulent and expensive.

Tod's creative director Matteo Tamburini's best idea was a long series of asymmetrical handkerchief skirts, rendered in pristine white cotton, blue shaved leather and super-beachy stripes.

Inspired by a trip along the Mediterranean coast, Matteo dressed his cast in new must-have jelly shoes topped with multiple ring buckles and sandals with new Baretta metal bands.

But it was hard to understand why there were so many flip-flops, as well as the weight of the clothes, since it was a spring/summer collection. Leather trench coats with hoods for May or June?

Before Naomi Campbell stepped out, she received high praise for wearing white silk trousers and a long, perfectly draped ecru blouse.

The soundtrack builds to a crescendo with Rival Consoles' 'Untravel' as the cast marches through Lorenzo's installation.

Loro Piana: Loving linen, a brand that is expanding

Let's talk about a tribute to linen at Loro Piana, where each look in the presentation included linen mixed with cashmere, wool, tweed and silk.

And why not, considering that the brand also controls Solbiati, arguably Italy's best bedding manufacturer.

Located near Loro Piana's headquarters in Quarona, Piedmont, Solbiati produces linen thread of the finest quality. So fine that a kilo of thread can travel all the way from Loro Piana's hometown to Milan, 110 kilometres. A clock and a spool of linen bear witness to this in one facility.

They even celebrated linen in a huge wall hanging by artist Adriana Meunié, called 'Tapestry', which features thick raw linen fibres and flowers.

Linen is combined with banana leaves on tank tops and knit trousers; it is mixed with waterproof denim parkas; it is combined with beautiful cashmere herringbone suits for ladies and even in their signature Spagna jacket with piped lapels for men. Along with stylish linen summer bags for trips to beach clubs.

The house also introduced its first line of sunglasses, although surprisingly they were not manufactured in conjunction with Thelios, the eyewear division of its owner LVMH of France. Instead, Loro Piana was determined to use a specific, high-quality acetate and worked with a specialist Japanese supplier.

At a time of great activity, Loro Piana also presented its first full collection of silk scarves, often using archival images, and even created a silk shoulder bag, useful if you only carry sunglasses and a mobile phone.

Finally, the brand presented its first real jewelry ideas, again inspired by its DNA, with necklaces featuring mini suitcases once used to transport cashmere and bracelets made with enameled linen flowers, of course.

At a difficult time for fashion and luxury, with many brands suffering double-digit sales declines, Loro Piana is happy to see its revenues grow. And all these clever, DNA-friendly brand extensions look set to keep growth in the double digits going forward.

Soft sales at Valextra

Valextra, one of Italy's most elegant handbag makers, has always been renowned for its precisely structured handbags and clutches. This season, it has opted for a softer sale.

Discovered in the archive, the brand offered a new morbid – as the Italians say for soft – bag, with light leather handles, finished with a suede interior. It is called MyLogo Bowling, as it is quite roomy.

Xavier Rougeaux, CEO, added: “Many young people ask us what we are doing in terms of sustainability. That is why we have been using hemp oil instead of chromium to cure our leather.”

A new clutch with a soft, easy-grip finish, but still with Valextra's grained leather finish, made with the trademark seal.

Fashionable malleability was also evident in several high-end crocodile bags — one in a powdery black, the other in a stone beige — as was the wool-felt-covered display inside Valextra’s flagship boutique on Via Manzoni.

A minimalist piece of decor, although not at a minimum price for this latest bag: €40,000 for those seeking the ultimate in luxury.