Nettspend walked the runway, Fakemink took out his cell phone: Demna’s first Gucci show brought the underground rap scene to Milan – read all the highlights now.
Underground rap is taking over the high fashion catwalk – at least at Milan Fashion Week 2026.
The main event of fashion week, the Gucci show on Friday February 26th. Expectations for the show were very high, especially because it was the first for new creative director Demna. The Georgian designer previously worked for Balenciaga and is particularly known for his avant-garde and contemporary fashion influences. There had already been some criticism: the AI-generated Instagram posts looked cheap and the invitations were not as ostentatious as usual in the high fashion industry.
Nevertheless, the new creative director managed to stage an unusual show that was praised by critics. And perhaps also because he invited many guests who were unusual for the catwalk.
Underground rap in the front row
There were many well-known faces from the underground rap scene in the front row of the show. London rapper Fimiguerrero, Feng, Nate Sib, who plays support for Joji, and Lil Zino, a smaller Cloud rapper, were invited.
The mysterious UK rapper EsDeeKid, who celebrated his big breakthrough with his album “Rebel” in 2025, was also at the show. There have already been many rumors about him as to whether he should be the actor Timothée Chalamet – which ultimately turned out to be untrue, but gave him significant reach. But the underground rap scene wasn’t just represented in the front row.
Runway debuts
Some also made their Gucci debut on the catwalk. The American rapper Nettspend was on the runway, although his fans were hoping that he would release his new album “Early Life Crisis” that night. However, he postponed that and preferred to walk his second runway show after he had already walked for Miu Miu at Paris Fashion Week last year.
In addition, the British rapper and producer Fakemink, who has already appeared on stage with Drake, also walked the catwalk for the first time. And as relaxed as if he were walking on the street, but in Gucci clothes. Every now and then he took a cell phone out of his Gucci fanny pack and stopped briefly to look at the display.
Gucci as an adjective
The show had an approachable, modern character – that was also Demna’s goal. Before the show, he posted that he wanted to make Gucci an adjective and make people feel Gucci rather than Gucci being a big, aloof name.
Nevertheless, the familiar faces were also on the catwalk. Supermodel Kate Moss closed the show with smudged makeup in a black dress, emphasizing the setting of the show. Although it had a museum feel due to the many ancient statues, the fashion on the catwalk conveyed more of a nighttime or underground club feel – i.e. the environment in which one would encounter the well-known rap personalities.
