Milan Fashion Week Spring 2025 has just ended, and as Nicole Phelps and Eskume contributing editor Tiziana Cardini report in today’s show, it’s been a week full of liberating joy. “Designers respond to what’s happening around us, so they really want to promote creativity and positive spirit,” explains Cardini. “All the designers I interviewed, from Francesco Risso to Simone Bellotti to Philosophy’s Lorenzo Serafini, were eager to explore the soothing power of beauty.”
According to the pair, some of the standout shows this season include Marni, where Risso presented a collection made entirely of cotton, given different treatments, showing the yarn’s true versatility. Cardini added, “He told me he chose cotton because he wanted his message to be very straightforward, very clean and clear. But you know, for Francisco, being clear always requires some kind of whimsy and some extra creativity. Power.”
At Prada, Mrs. Prada and Raf Simons’ monograph against the algorithmic flattening of creativity was also noticeable in Milan this season, especially the leather bags with rounded “windows” skirts, Cardini considers it the first piece she wants to add to her wardrobe this season. Sabato de Sarno of Gucci was praised for the consistency of tailoring; at Dolce & Gabbana, Madonna’s name was on everyone’s lips – and not just because the collection was inspired by her and she, because she sat in the front row, was completely covered in black. Everything was clearly visible through the lace veil.
This week, there have been some surprises from unexpected labels, for example, Sunni celebrated its 10th anniversary with a fashion show consisting entirely of models of “a certain age.” Designers Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina told Cardini that the inspiration came from the fact that they were getting older as a brand and that as the years went by, the brand would feel pressure, trying to become a billion-dollar brand. “They don’t want to grow,” Cardini said. “They want to continue doing what they like, the way they like it.” Another designer duo, Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini of The Attico, are doing what they like, the way they like it, and they held a second fashion show, showing that slow and steady growth is still the best way for young brands.
If you want to know who transformed a languishing brand and turned it into an IYKYL favorite in just two seasons, be sure to check out the Milan Fashion Week special “The Run Through.”
