Perfect stand-out moments from Milan Fashion week SS23
From open invitations at Diesel to milestones at Moncler, there was a shift in Milan this season.
Read our stand-out moments from Milan Fashion Week Spring Summer 23.
Moncler’s 70th-anniversary celebrations
Photo courtesy of Moncler SS23
It has been 70 years since the Moncler brand first made its appearance on the Alpine slopes of Monestier-de-Clermont, and its down jackets remain the brand’s most prized possession. On the Saturday evening of MFW, the iconic Duomo di Milano stood as the backdrop for the 1,952 models, musicians and performers who each represented a year of the brand’s life to date. Each model stood perfectly still in limited-edition white Moncler Maya jackets. Under the torrential rain, CEO Remo Refini brought together 18,000 members of the public who came to see the show and celebrate the brand's anniversary - a real contrast to the typically exclusive schedule of previous years. As reported by the brand, “the celebrations will expand into special collections designed by 7 past Moncler collaborators who will use their creative edge to re-imagine the brand’s iconic jackets”. The curated list includes Francesco Ragazzi of Palm Angels, Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, Thom Browne, Rick Owens, Giambattista Valli, Pharrell Williams and Hiroshi Fujiwara. The collections will roll out on the 15th of October.
Matty Bovan’s “controlled chaos” supported by Dolce and Gabbana
Matty Bovan | Photo by Jason Lloyd Evans
This season, a familiar face graced the Milan schedule with the support of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. For York-based designer Matty Bovan, with his artisanal approach to design and youthful spirit, a perfect fit for Milan, this was an offer he simply couldn’t refuse. Titled ‘Shapeshifter’, Bovan described the collection as “the exploration of visceral texture and colour, subverting and distorting the body through harnessed chaos, resulting in triumphant identities”. Despite producing most of the collection from his home in York, the addition of Dolce and Gabbana’s archive pieces reworked for his collection and support from the brand’s seamstresses, meant that Bovan got a real taste of what it would be like to work for a fashion house that wasn’t his own. Potentially an exciting taste of things to come for the designer.
Exploring the magic of twins at Gucci
A reflection on identity and otherness. Alessandro Michele, a child of an identical twin himself, dedicated the show to his mother and her incredible bond with her identical twin, who he also refers to as his mother. “Two extraordinary women who made their twinship the ultimate seal of their existence,” he wrote in the show notes. Unbeknownst to the audience, Michele staged two identical shows where each twin walked simultaneously in identical looks featuring sharp tailoring, country quilting and peeping gremlins. Models were separated by a wall of portraits of twins and lookalikes photographed by Mark Peckmezian. But, it wasn’t until the last few looks when the wall was lifted and another identical model was seen to be walking simultaneously in the same look across the catwalk that all was revealed. Across the 68 looks on 68 twins, this was a fashion moment to remember.
“Inflation chic” at Moschino
Moschino SS23 | Photo by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Inflation, inflation, inflation - it’s been hard to avoid in today's economic crisis, and now it’s happening on the runway too as Jeremy Scott coins the term as his own for Moschino’s SS23 show. In his collection, Scott acknowledged the recent negativity in the news and hoped through humour and love, his incorporated inflatables could stop his audience from drowning, even if just for a moment. The overall message of the collection was a clear reference to Franco Moschino’s 1989 ‘Cruise Me Baby’ collection that looked to the traditional life jacket and included a shirt with the message “in case of emergency.”
An open invitation at Diesel
Only his second show for Diesel since taking the helm in 2020, Glenn Martens is already breaking the barriers of the traditional fashion show. 5,000 guests arrived to watch his show whose tickets (open to the public) sold out in 90 minutes - 1,600 of which included fashion students. The dedication by each guest to their own looks was notable and ranged from rare vintage pieces by the brand to more recent designs by Martens creating an authentic fashion moment in itself. Meanwhile, on the runway underneath a record-breaking inflatable, models including Alton Mason embodied the effortless coolness of the brand in conceptualised denim and distinctive Diesel Eyewear pieces that were made in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica.
New Hollywood at Ferragamo
Ferragamo SS23 | Photo by Sonny Vandevelde
Mancunian designer, Maximilian Davis made his debut for Ferragamo this season at Milan Fashion Week and looked to redefine the codes of the brand using sensuality and new Hollywood as its driving force. Gradient colours filled the collection influenced by Rachel Harrison’s Sunset Series and contrasted the surface of the show space which Davis had covered in red sand. Featuring tight-fitting leather shorts and matching jackets there was a real sense of sexiness across the collection. Davis’ appointment at Ferragamo also sees an exciting move towards accessories for the designer, a category so vital to the history of the brand. More specifically, we can see Davis’ reinterpretation of their Wanda bag from 1988, marking the beginning of a new venture for this designer.