“When Massimiliano and Brenda Bizzi and I founded White many years ago, we were perhaps a little overconfident in our desire to do something different since there were already so many trade fairs. Today, our desire to create a brand offer that delights buyers and encourages them to visit Milan and in particular the Tortona region remains unbroken.” With these words, Simona Severini, the managing director of White, underlines the importance of choosing the right brands for is the event that takes place from Thursday February 22nd to Sunday February 25th in Milan’s fashion district Tortona.
The FW24/25 collections will be presented during the show.
“We have created a mix of brands that offer freshness, innovation and style without compromising the marketability and functionality of the clothing. “Essentially, it’s a mix of brands that turns White into a fashion hub where shoppers who already have almost everything in the store can still find something exciting,” explains Severini.
Sponsored by the Region of Lombardy and the City of Milan and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Maeci) and by Ice, an agency for the foreign promotion and internationalization of Italian companies, the White Show offers a wide range of Italian and international offers. More than 300 companies from around the world will present their collections at Superstudio (Via Tortona 27), Base Ex Ansaldo (Via Tortona 54) and Padiglione Visconti (Via Tortona 58). This is where the reality of White Village comes to life, hosted for the first time in collaboration with East Market. “The fair asserts itself as an international reference platform for companies and a showcase for new trends,” said the general director of White. He emphasized that the brands, selected by a seven-person sales team, were found during fashion weeks all over the world. “The big fashion cities, but also Los Angeles, Riyadh, Seoul and Tokyo,” he says.
For this season, White has decided to focus on a team of young and talented creatives working together to create the campaign images. This season’s theme, designed by Massimiliano Bizzi, founder and artistic director of White, is “Women… Magical Beings”. The event highlights the value and importance of women, who have always been the protagonists of fashion It’s not the designers who decide who they dress, it’s the women who decide how they dress, how they express themselves, how they improve themselves. “I think it’s clear to everyone that we are in We are in a moment of significant change and that we as a group are now more committed to aligning our strategic development with the changes than just achieving big numbers. I hope and trust that Milan will seize the opportunity to join in this change and to become the undisputed capital of European fashion,” says Bizzi.
One of White’s many new projects is the Secret Rooms. These are five hidden rooms in which young international talents present their collections in spaces that match the brand’s personal vision. For the issue of February 24, 2024, Simona Severini has chosen the designer Alberto Ciaschini and his iconic cigarette-heeled shoes; Samanta Virginio with her poppy and hyper-feminine collection; Miao Ran, who plays with masculinity and femininity; and Yangkehan, a Chinese designer who draws inspiration from traditional Eastern aesthetics and transforms them into ethereal shapes with soft colors. Prototype:Am, a high-end outerwear brand from Berlin that experiments with new silhouettes, layering and volume, will also be present.
As part of the long-standing collaboration with Icex España Exportación e Inversiones, the fair will also present a selection of Spanish designers. Another of White’s international collaborations is with Kfashion82. It is a Korean business-to-business sales platform launched in May 2023 and led by Shinsegae department store, the first promoter of Korean fashion. The collections of six talented brands (Ryu Classic, Jiminlee, Liberadd, Kimoui, HANNAH SHIN and MAN.G) are presented at White.
“But there are also many other novelties, such as the creations of the Dutch shoe brand Yume Yume or the British Ia.London,” says Severini. The superstudio also houses the lofts in which Avant Toi and Stefano Mortari continues. It is always surprising to see the savoir-faire of these brands at work and discover how they have developed their own story. In these spaces, individually designed by each designer, shoppers can immerse themselves in the story that the brands tell season after season tell. In the third Loft of the edition, which begins on February 22, 2024, returns the famous jewelry brand Goti, founded by master jeweler Riccardo Goti with the aim of realizing his creative vision: a bespoke jewelry combining fabrics and leather cuts with handmade Silver and other small precious elements combined.
The basement is dedicated to research and avant-garde collections. M1978 tells their story through handcrafted jewelry and special techniques such as using molds of real flowers into which silver is poured to create striking floral shapes. Vuscichè, on the other hand, offers an agender wardrobe made of antique and salvaged fabrics. Finally, the creations of the Dutch-Italian designer Marianne Vanderwilt will also be presented. The Vanderwilt brand is known for its work with leather, shaping it into sculptural garments for women. The brand mix is complemented by offers that meet different market requirements. Haine Inside Us is an avant-garde made-in-Italy collection with a dark touch, dominated by black tones, fabric overlays and asymmetrical cuts. The collection, which combines streetwear and avant-garde elements, quickly became internationally successful. Atelier Hamza is a Romanian-born brand founded by Stefan Hamza. At the heart of his vision is the production of environmentally friendly (e.g. organic cotton) and high-quality clothing.
