Zegna and Dhruv Kapoor close Milan Fashion Week in style

Milan Men's Fashion Week ended on a colorful and stylish note on Monday, showcasing some very attractive Spring/Summer 2025 collections. Italian luxury menswear brand Zegna was one of the biggest names, closing out the week with an extremely accomplished show set in a reconstituted linen field. Earlier in the day, Indian brand Dhruv Kapoor also made its mark, with a collection at the opposite end of the style spectrum, featuring playful embroidery and bright colors.

For his show, Zegna transformed an industrial warehouse on the outskirts of Milan into a vast field of rust-colored linen, through which models strolled nonchalantly. In June 2023, creative director Alessandro Sartori presented a summer collection composed almost exclusively of linen looks, and then also showed it in a country setting. This year, Sartori has used a variety of different materials, including for the first time abundant leather and exotic skins, as well as a wider range of colors and prints.

Sartori is passionate about fabric research and highly functional solutions, and has elevated Zegna menswear to an even higher level. He composed her collection like a symphony, all of its tones, materials, fabric weights and proportions fitting together perfectly to create a harmonious and effortless ensemble. Until now, Zegna's ideal men's wardrobe revolved around a series of basic monochromatic looks. For next summer, the mood has brightened, with a bolder palette of ochre, teal and maroon, as well as colorful printed fabrics with herringbone motifs. A collection with a very Italian style, with shawl-collar sweaters, pajama shirts, openwork knitwear and loose suits combined with loafers.

Even the smallest detail was taken care of and everything was perfect: the slightly cropped sports jacket that emphasizes an elegant silhouette, the placement of multiple square pockets designed to highlight gestures and attitude, and an incredible selection of impeccably cut trousers with fitted waists and More fluid volume underneath, for maximum comfort, with straight-cut legs.

“[Trousers] They are often given less prominence in men's appearance. Our pants fitting sessions can last up to four hours for each model. It is the only way to obtain a perfect silhouette. This season in particular, we have designed each item to specifically fit men of different ages and body shapes,” said Sartori, underlining the remarkable work put into ensuring maximum wearability.

“In each article there is the work of about 500 hands. The secret is to use the appropriate fabric for each model. Some materials are simply not suitable for certain models. For example, I used silk to design a suit with a shirt jacket instead of a classic jacket, because it looks better,” Sartori said.

The atmosphere was both relaxed and sensual, each look tailored to its subject, whether a young man in a short suede jacket and white jeans, or a more mature gentleman, such as Zegna's new brand ambassador, Danish actor Mads. Mikkelsen, who closed the show dressed in a black suit under a maroon leather jacket and carrying two large travel bags. Each look oozed innate elegance, from crisp linen suits to dyed cotton pants to a simple pair of shorts paired with a matching-patterned blouse and suede jacket.

The leather goods in particular were dazzling in their lightness and seemed to glide over the body. “There is a special technology behind these garments. They are made only of leather, without interior structure. It is an important innovation, invisible to the naked eye, that we have developed ourselves. Now we are working on single-material garments, without mixtures of fabrics or adhesives, thinking about their future recycling. With the exception of the tailored garments, the entire collection has been designed following this single material concept,” concludes Sartori.

See catwalk

The record was quite different in Dhruv Kapoor. In his collection for next summer, the Indian designer has delved into his past, as Luca Magliano and Jonathan Anderson did on Sunday. The idea was to reconnect with the feelings of yesteryear, when he used to borrow his father's jacket to look older, comparing them to the cult of youth that prevails today. A huge stuffed animal, a fabric bunny, Kapoor's faithful childhood friend, occupied a privileged place in the center of a set entirely dressed in red, a color that Kapoor detested until recently.

The bunny set the tone, heralding a collection that blurred the lines between youth and adulthood. It is evident that the models, both women and men, had rummaged through the closets of their fathers and mothers, and also those of their older brothers, as suggested by the oversized pants, baggy enough to reveal the underwear they were wearing underneath, or skirts that were clearly one or two sizes too big and their front fell forward to the waist.

Kapoor has put a new spin on the more formal items in her collection, introducing new cuts and constructions. A suit jacket was transformed into a short blouse with a sailor collar, a bolero top adorned with a bow and a vest full of pearly tassels. Kapoor decorated her stylish pajamas with red bunnies, a clear nod to his childhood sleepwear. The bunny motif also appeared as an embroidered appliqué on some denim garments and in a giant, shiny version on a short black dress.

On the contrary, the game was also about transforming youthful looks into something more sophisticated. A set of light gray wool joggers and top was reinterpreted with wide-cut, straight-leg pants and a hooded jacket with detachable shoulder pads in the style of the 80s. One denim ensemble was completely covered with rows of shiny miniature rods in spike shape. Finally, the fun, brightly colored prints of recent seasons disappeared, replaced by more artistic graphic motifs.