How much change is too much? This question hovered like a veil over the Milan fashion week for men’s fashion. After just three days in the calendar, from which some of the most loyal heavyweights had disappeared, the city’s presentations not only seemed sparse, but also surprisingly reserved.
Milan is not to blame much of this unrest. The past year was characterized by a constant upheaval in the fashion industry – a change that particularly hit some of the city’s leading houses. Fendi, for example, has not yet had a new creative direction, although discussions with the designer Willy Chavarria based in New York are said to be underway. Gucci, on the other hand, is preparing for the arrival of Demna Gvasalia and in the meantime has integrated his men’s collection into a cross -gender show in the women’s calendar. The JW Anderson brand is currently pausing, while designer Jonathan Anderson is preparing for his debut with Dior. And Versace? The fashion house goes through a realignment after the takeover by Prada – the latter remains one of the few figureheads that shows in Milan Flag this season.
However, this does not mean that the 15 physical shows, 41 presentations and 17 events did not offer any highlights. Prada and Giorgio Armani presented strong collections, and also some exciting newcomers: inside – especially international talents – consciously chose Milan as a platform for SS26.
Can new voices save Milan?
Perhaps the first show of the season was already an indication of where Milan should go: towards a role as an incubator for young talents – a position that has so far held Paris and London. The first catwalks belonged to Setchu, the label of the LVMH winner from 2023. After his appearance in January, designer Satoshi Kuwata now showed his vision as a guest designer at the Pitti Uomo fashion fair-and with her an urgently needed fresh impulse.
On the catwalk, precise cutting skills merged with Japanese functionality and origami-inspired folds. Kuwatas Time in the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, where he participated as part of an initiative by LVMH Métiers d’Art, gave the collection additional depth. He also influenced memories of fishing trips and a pinch of Y2K nostalgia. The latter showed up in deep sitting jeans and cargo pants, while his trips to Zimbabwe led to collaborations with artisans: inside the Batoka tribe-including palm-braided skirts and hats.
Setchu was not the only former Pitti guest designer who remained loyal to Italy. Luca Magliano, born in Bologna, also remained connected to his homeland. This season, however, the designer decided against a classic catwalk presentation. Instead, he showed what he himself called, a “sabbatical show” in the form of a short film that was premiered in a Milan cinema.
The concept of time -out not only shaped the format of the show, but also pulled through the collection itself. “The sabbatical has to be reflected in the design – by elements of free camping: technical infiltrates the clothing, changing silhouettes – tents for restless body,” said the designer in a press release.
This attitude was clearly shown in the materiality and construction. Ropes and hooks replaced buttons, a coat made of mottled cotton voile-at first glance-reminded of classic grisaille, and a flag dress played with a flat trompe-l’eil. But the collection was by no means exclusively focused on campsites or retro futurism. Some designs, especially those made from loosely woven fabrics, referred to the cinema text and quoted the aesthetics of the film Noir of the 1950s.
While many brands from Milan stayed away this season, the Italian fashion metropolis at British labels still seemed to be very popular. For example, Paul Smith – also a former guest designer of the Pitti Uomo – presented his collection in Milan for the first time and foregon his usual place in the Paris Fashion Week calendar. It was Smith’s first catwalking show in Milan – and travel seemed not only geographically, but also thematically play a central role.
“The collection draws a route through Paul’s personal travel memories – with colors, prints and textures that conjure up impressions of past trips,” said the press release. A special book on street photography in Cairo, which is said to have inspired the designer at the beginning of the design process, was often cited. The usual colorful patterns and prints met on silhouettes, which strongly reminded of the tailoring of the 1950s-with shortened jackets, high-cut pants and numerous shirts with up rolled sleeves.
The accessories also continued the topic of travel and memory. Retro-style keychain-made from the same acetate as the glasses produced in Italy-were supplemented by collectible metal tags: mussels, coins and peer signs adorned leather belts, jewelry, basket hats and even classic tailoring sites.
Smith was not the only British designer who made Milan his creative home this season-Andreas Kronthaler also chose the Italian fashion city for a comeback for Vivienne Westwood and presented the first independent Menswear collection of the house since 2017. Bridal Week presented the first bridal fashion collection – but both initiatives have so far not received media attention that one would expect.
This may also be due to the fact that Kronthaler decided against a large runway comeback for spring/summer 2026 and instead chose an more intimate setting. The show, with the title Colazione Con Andreas – in German: “Breakfast with Andreas” – took place in the Rivoli bar, a traditional Milan scene meeting. The collection itself showed a dandy-like note with a subtle punk attitude and played with the image of the style-conscious, elderly lady-more precisely: the sciura, that hyper-elegant downtown icon in a golden age.
The last of your kind?
Despite some exciting new additions and fresh impulses on the calendar, it cannot be denied that Milan was essentially worn by two heavyweights this season – with ironic, the physical absence of one attracted the most attention.
For the first time in his legendary career, Giorgio Armani was not personally present at his own show. Instead, Leo Dell’orco, many years of men’s collection director of the house, bowed at the presentation for spring/summer 2026. The 91-year-old designer, who according to media reports, recovered from a hospital stay, was nevertheless present in a noticeable way-in the sense of the word as it was.
Not only did the rumor circulate that a call from Armani personally – with the question of why the show had not yet started – caused the surprising, almost overturned start, but above all his handwriting in the collection was obvious.
The show was monumental, if only in size: over 100 looks, many of them in the typical Armani palette made of gray, grave and beige, accentuated by gentle lilac and delicate cream tones. The collection consistently relied on tailoring – the casual but razor -sharp tailoring craft for which Armani is known worldwide. Some looks recalled the cloakroom that he once designed for American Gigolo, others embodied the casual elegance of a Mediterranean summer.
At Prada, both co-creative director: inside-Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada-were present at Prada personally. But just a few hours after the collection stepped over the catwalk, the Prada Group surprisingly announced the resignation of its CEO Gianfranco d’Asttis. According to the company announcement, D’Asttis will leave the house on June 30th – due to “different views regarding the strategic orientation of the brand”.
However, there was little to feel on the catwalk of internal tensions. The collection – aptly titled ‘A Change of Tone’ – set a clear statement. It celebrated young people energy, especially in the form of ultra -short shorts that caused a stir on social media. The lanky, almost pubescent lightness would have been good at Miu Miu, but the Prada-DNA was clearly recognizable-but this time in lighter colors and softer, more playful silhouettes instead of the usual strict, architectural lines.
“We wanted to hit a different tone,” said Miuccia Prada, according to Women’s Wear Daily, after the show towards journalist: inside. “The opposite of aggression, power and meanness that currently master our world. We wanted to make a small contribution with something real, friendly.”
This gentler posture seemed deliberately chosen. Just a few hours before the show, the news of a US air attack on Iran had made the round. In the midst of global unrest, economic uncertainty and growing geopolitical tensions, Prada’s new collection did not look naive, but like a silent resistance – a plea for gentleness at a time that is dominated by hardness.
Nevertheless, as much as the collection was – like many others this season – SS26 should be remembered less by what was missing.