One of the biggest events in the world of clothing, Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring Summer 2025 recently came to an end. Historically, Milan, Italy has been responsible for the most beautiful of couture shows. Extravagant, head-turning, and mesmerizing, if you will. Over the years however, the fashion week has incorporated a lot more. The fashion week now hosts a array of galas, events, talks about merchandising business and future of sustainable fashion, apart from the regular fashion shows.
It also is a great platform for brands to make announcements, unveil new collections and brand ambassadors, and more. One of these was the Japanese streetwear brand Onitsuka who had Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna who is their first Indian brand advocate, make an appearance at the Milan Fashion Week. It was also the much-loved brand's 75th anniversary and Mandanna looked stunning. Apart from Rashmika, the iconic brand had a lot going on, at their runway show. With their muted colours and textured play, The key theme was how the 50-odd outfits that the brand showcased were gender fluid, and as they put it, represented the classic Onitsuka wearer’s modern sensibilities well.
Fendi's 100th year
A lot of brands were celebrating big milestone years this year at Milan Fashion Week, and many others were celebrating some of their iconic designs that have made their way back into the mainstream. Salvatore Ferragamo for example, brought back their ballet shoes from the 80's, and with the trend trickling down, we are sure to see many other footwear brands and designers following suit. Ballet shoes are making a comeback and would be a great classic accessory to add to your wardrobe. Similarly, the house of Fendi, who are celebrating the eve of the 100th year of the fashion house coming into being, brought back iconic silhouettes and designs from when they started, back in the 1920s. Their Milan Fashion Week show was also big on the themes of art deco, and with the classic beading and flapper style of dresses, Fendi's show was quite the talk of the town.
Madonna at D&G
Another show exceptionally talked about during the Milan Fashion Week happened to be Dolce and Gabbana. The Italian fashion powerhouses debuted a collection inspired by the popstar Madonna, and of course had her be a front-row guest. While it was made by the designer Jean Paul Gaultier, Madonna’s conical bra is an iconic silhouette that made its way to the D&G runway at the fashion week in Milan. The collection covered her most iconic looks across decades, albeit with an Italian flair that D&G is known for.
Sustainability in focus
The fashion week concluded with a sustainability gala which was hosted at the iconic Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where innovations in sustainable fashion were recognised and awarded. The gala night opened with a breathtaking performance by Nicoletta Manni, principal dancer étoile of Teatro alla Scala, featuring the stunning ‘La Luna’ choreography by Maurice Béjart. Post this, a variety of fashion stalwarts and new upcoming geniuses took over the stage.
Started in 2017, the gala, or CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards has been working seamlessly with both established designers as well as design schools for a take on fashion that is sustainable both in terms of production as well as merchandising. It’d be interesting to see what sustainable measures and innovation make it to the market from the prestigious stage of the Milan Fashion Week.