The expression “The Show Must Go On” originally comes from the circus world of the 19th century, but could also apply to the fashion industry. After all, even the lack seems to be one: R creative director: in – once the creative heart of every brand – not being shown a fatal incision. At least in theory. Design team is increasingly being entrusted with bridging the gap between creative guiding figures and maintaining continuity.
And yet on the Milan Fashion Week, many presentations were less shadowed by the collections themselves than the uncertainty about key positions and the future of the respective fashion houses.
Farewells and question marks
The autumn/winter season 2025 marked another phase of upheaval for many labels. In recent years, the change at the creative tip has increasingly accelerated. However, while speculation about departures and new occupations usually circle weeks before or after a show, it is rare for a runway presentation to say goodbye to creative director: inside.
This was exactly what happened to Jil Sander. As soon as Luke and Lucie Meier had left the catwalk – after a collection that was clearly removed from their originally gentle, feminine approach for the house and was dominated by black – for a long time it was practically sealed.
The official press release followed a few hours later, but for those present, the moment of confirmation had already taken place when Renzo Rosso, CEO of the Jil Sander-Muttergesellschaft OTB, who met Duo Backstage with a lavish bouquet of flowers-an almost unmistakable sign. The only remaining question then: why the sudden hurry to say goodbye and who will follow?
Glenn Martens was spared such a public farewell to Diesel. However, rumors persisted that it could have been his last show for the brand before moving to his new, more prestigious role as a creative director of Maison Margiela within OTB.
If the autumn/winter season 2025 actually marks the end of diesel, it would be a suitable conclusion. Martens once again played his strengths and combined opposites. For example, “Working Class” denim met Tweed and Bouclé, fabrics that once favored Coco Chanel. The silhouettes also switched between extreme, such as high waists and deeply seated bundle heights, which reminded of Alexander McQueen’s notorious “Bumster” pants.
However, Martens was not the only one whose farewell was speculated. Versace could also face a change of management – and not just on a creative level. Capri Holdings, the American parent company of the house, is said to be looking for a buyer for the Italian luxury label.
Versace, the only luxury brand in a portfolio otherwise characterized by Michael Kors, was always a special case within Capri Holdings. But speculation about a possible takeover by the Prada group raises new questions.
Despite the clear luxury position of both brands, this connection does not appear immediately conclusive. It remains to be seen whether the deal, which is supposed to be 1.5 billion euros, comes about. Should it actually happen-and should Donatella Versace leave the company at the same time-the autumn/winter season 2025 would not be a worthy farewell for a designer who has led the house through ups and downs for decades.
The collection itself acted like a hectic tour through the archive of the brand – a homage that primarily referred to Gianni Versace, the founder of the label in 1997. Since her sudden rise to creative director after his death, Donatella has repeatedly used his aesthetics. This time, however, the result felt less after a conscious reference, but rather looked more like an overly overloaded, incoherent smorgasbord – chaotic instead of provocative, sexy or playful.
How can history be rewritten without losing identity?
The fashion industry should now have learned that new creative director: inside and a radical fracture of style are not necessarily the solution to brand problems. If at all, then Sabato de Sarno’s short stay at Gucci should serve as a warning example.
From the beginning, de Sarno was faced with an ungrateful task: he should eliminate the opulent maximum aesthetics characterized by Alessandro Michele and lead Gucci towards a reduced, timeless elegance. On paper, this strategy for Kering, Gucci’s parent company, might appear sensible – but in practice the success failed to materialize and de Sarno released after less than two years.
His absence led to the autumn/winter collection 2025 again designed by the in-house design team-the same group that had already bridged the transition phase after Michele’s departure. However, de Sarno’s influence was still noticeable. Box-shaped tweed unions and 60s references reminded of his last collection for the brand, but also noticeable hints of other Gucciar were noticeable.
And that could be the biggest challenge of the brand. A problem that became clear in the show notes that did not contain any mention of de Sarno. Instead, the house spoke of the “many owners: inside and keeper: inside” by Gucci, an recognition of the numerous creative personalities who have shaped their identity. In fact, the brand has experienced many such guardians: inside, some of which left behind traces that have left not only Guccis aesthetics, but the entire legacy of the brand.
It is undeniable that the era of Tom Ford and in recent times that Michele have shaped the history of the house profoundly. But what remains, apart from the lasting ghosts of past creative director: inside – especially when they have completely different visions for the brand? It is a question that the next designer has to answer: hopefully with more success than de Sarno.
The lack of a new creative director is easier to pass when there is something else to celebrate-and Fendi skilfully cleverly succeeded Kim Jones with a traditional anniversary show on the 100th anniversary of the Italian luxury label.
The century celebration came to a real family matter: Silvia Fendi returned to design the women’s collection – a task that she already mastered alongside Karl Lagerfeld and later several seasons before Jones took over the creative management. For the Co-E-Eh show for the anniversary, however, Fendi did not go back to the archive, but rather incorporated her own memories of the brand, which launched her first ready-to-wear collection in 1977.
The collection celebrated classic elegance with deceptively real mink coats, but woolen coats also played a role. Iconic bags such as the Peekaboo and the Spy Bag received modern updates, including fluffy textures and a celebrated new edition. In the men’s collection, asymmetrical revere, floor -length fur stolen and strong contrasts ensured a subversive reinterpretation of classic Italian cutting skills – a playful but well thought -out further development that derived from the brand history without relying on the past alone.
The balance between old and new, archive and innovation is undoubtedly a challenge – just as it was hardly possible to concentrate on new debuts this season, which almost went down in the face of numerous personnel changes. Nevertheless, they existed: Lorenzo Serafini presented his romantic-modern vision for Alberta Ferretti after the founder and namesake of the house had resigned last season.
His focus was on flowing, rumored clothes and embroidered corsages – elements, which, albeit in a darker, almost Gothic mood, were also found at Blumarine. There David Koma heralded a change of direction with his first collection and said goodbye to the pastel-colored Y2K designs of the past.
A constant size
Prada, one of the few luxury labels that escape the tireless creative director carousel in the industry as well as pompous anniversary productions, offered a reliable constant in Milan. However, their influence went far beyond their own catwalk. Halks to Prada’s characteristic ‘Ugly-Chic’ aesthetics of the 1990s were also found elsewhere, such as Gucci. But maybe Prada’s sustainable characteristics of the current and past seasons are due to a simple fact: the recipe for success works. The evidence lies in the numbers – while many luxury brands struggle with fluctuating demand and changed consumer preferences, Prada remains a stable size.
The interest of many designers: Inside, however, Prada is not only economically motivated. Unlike numerous Milan fashion houses, Prada has always kept a clear identity and has never reinvented itself. For decades, the house has been dealing with topics such as intellectuality, unconventional beauty and the representation of unreachable female ideals. Today, at a time that celebrates perfectionism, standardized beauty and a return to traditional femininity, these questions gain new relevance.
The design duo Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons react with a collection that serves as a stylistic counter-design to the current sociopolitical current. The Prada woman remains the opposite of submissive and domestic. Although there were allusions to Stepford-Wife clichés-floral day dresses, small blacks and pajama ensembles-, but they were always subtly deconstructed and alienated. However, the balancing act proved to be a challenge: the intentionally crumpled silhouettes and deliberately imperfect cuts sometimes threatened to slip into the disadvantageous.
It remains to be seen whether traces of it will find themselves on other catwalks in the coming season or whether there will be further changes – at Prada or other Milan houses. The fashion industry has always lived from reinvention, but this season has once again shown that the constant change at the creative tip does not necessarily have a clear design vision. Stability where it exists is rare and increasingly valuable. Ultimately, it is not the brands that run the cycle, but those who define it that have existence. And so Milan remains a change in change for the time being – shaped by those who go as if from those who move up.