At the pace of fashion weeks, fashion continues its course undisturbed, without isolating itself from the world around it. During Milan Fashion Week, which from 17 to 23 September presented the spring-summer 2025 women’s collections, several designers expressed, on their catwalk, their anxiety about current events, by adopting very different measures.
“The world is going through dark times right now and it is impossible to ignore them. When you work in a creative field, it is a duty to reflect the mood of the people.”Luke and Lucie Meier say that the duo led by Jil Sander reacts to the current pessimism by refining a pragmatic and poetic wardrobe that gives confidence to the wearer. There are suits with wide shoulders, sleeves adorned with fringes that swirl around the wrist; high-waisted trousers marked by a belt so long that it reaches the knees. Entire outfits ennobled by photographs by Greg Girard, a Canadian artist whose work reflects the loneliness of metropolises in the early 1980s. And also very pretty dresses in gradient colours, where shiny silk evokes the reflection of a sunset on water. The grace of Jil Sander’s clothes will not save the world, but it will help to beautify it.
At Diesel, it is rather the environmental aspect that concerns Glenn Martens. Mounds of denim scraps cover the floor and columns of the vast warehouse where the show is taking place. In total, this amounts to almost 15 tons of fabric, which the brand promises to recycle after the show to support its eco-friendly message. “There is beauty in waste, in what is worn out and destroyed”“This season, the Belgian has further refined his textile research. All the fabrics (in particular the brand’s signature denim) are torn, cut, frayed and sometimes reassembled. These experiments make some garments outrageously sexy (neck-baring T-shirts, shorts that cover almost nothing), but, more often than not, they catch the eye: what is this PVC dress whose edges cut into long fringes gather like a scarf around the neck? Or this thick dress made from scraps of denim as teeming as a colony of polyps?
Otters, elephants and orcas.
During the small press conference held before the Versace show in the brand’s glass-walled offices, Donatella Versace did not wear black, as usual, but a bright red trouser suit. “Right now we need color, said the artistic director with a sigh. We live in a world torn apart by wars, where bad news piles up every day. Fashion can do nothing but offer a moment of lightness. That’s what I’m trying to do. » Mission accomplished during their parade at the Sforza Castle, where the noble stones from the 15th century are located.my The century creates a delicious contrast with its infusion collection. ninety – a period that seemed happier for Donatella Versace. Bright colours (lavender, lemon, caramel, blue) coexist in floral prints taken from the archives. The shapes are rather simple: for the day, a polo shirt, cardigan, midi skirt and playful pumps, whose heel takes the shape of the Bright Crystal perfume; for the evening, a draped dress, but always colourful. go well !
Last season, Bottega Veneta’s artistic director imagined a collection that describes a “world on fire”This time, Matthieu Blazy chooses to take refuge in a universe where wonder is still possible: that of childhood. The audience is welcomed into a warehouse filled with leather poufs in the shape of otters, elephants, orcas and foxes: a fabulous bestiary created with furniture manufacturer Zanotta. “It represents the idea of the ark: a happy world populated by friendly companions who make you smile and say “wow!” at the same time “Matthieu Blazy aptly describes this. His collection continues this reflection on childhood, with discreet references to the films that marked him: the game Magic Dictation, seen in And the alien (1982), by Steven Spielberg, is reproduced in the form of a magnificent woven leather bag; Tom Hanks’ soaked suit splash (1984), by Ron Howard, is imitated in a tropical wool that gives it a wrinkled appearance.
The beauty of this wardrobe lies in a series of well-chosen details: a frog-shaped brooch placed on the back of a cardigan to tighten it even more, tassels hanging from the bottom of a leather skirt that swings with every step, an oversized and baggy suit jacket that reminds us of children having fun borrowing their parents’ clothes, even the leather and fabric sunflowers that some models carry under their arms, as if they had just come from a flower shop. “This collection responds to a desire for beauty, for joy, for moments for oneself. The desire to be able to continue playing. We need fashion. It is also an act of freedom.” motto Matthieu Blazy, who undoubtedly signs the most beautiful and sweet show of Milan Fashion Week.
