fashion education

Milano Fashion Week 2023

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Fall/Winter 23: between reality, wearability and confusion


Milano Fashion Week 2023 shows a fashion recovered from Balenciagitis! The extremely contagious phenomenon that has affected almost every designer so far, seems gone! And finally, brands looked in better shape. However, the number of outfits presented in every single fashion show underlined the blindness of the fashion system towards climate emergency.

Highlights from Milano Fashion Week 23


Gucci: a lot of everything and too much confusion in da house. This show transitions from Alessandro Michele, who destroyed maison’s heritage in favour of a clownish style, to the new designer, Sabato Sarno, whose first collection will see the light in September. Though waiting for the official handover, perhaps it made sense to show 30 archive clothing pieces mixed with accessories. All that confusion from a maison like Gucci was nonsense.

Milano Fashion Week 23


Prada: the collection focused on reality, with well-balanced silhouettes and beautiful origami decorations. Indeed, wearable clothes with a purpose, like the nurse dress, had the intent to offer uniforms for daily life. But what about BOF’s title? “A plea for compassion at Prada.” Talking about compassion for a fashion show seems a stretch. Compassion for what? By the way, we still wonder if Miuccia needs Raf Simons. She can do better than stitching a logo onto a skirt.

Dolce & Gabbana: so many deshabille looks gave the impression of an underwear show. However, when the more “habillé” outfits came out, we finally could see some of the Dolce & Gabbana original designs. Indeed, this one was much better than their latest fashion shows.

Bottega Veneta: precise tailoring cuts highlighted an image of quality and clean elegance. Beautiful textured fabrics gave a sense of unexpectedness. But maybe too many themes make you lose attention.

What do all the brands have in common?


Apart from the circus of most participants at Milano Fashion Week 2023 with zero idea of style or elegance and some indigestible starlets, still everyone showed trillions of outfits. Brands persist on that. Why? Nobody is slowing down. No one hits the brake, creating and suggesting an idea of style and lifestyle in tune with the current times.
The fashion industry (as our economic system) thrives on an overproduction pattern. Even if the world is melting down, no one cares to make a change.

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WAMI and Stella Jean’s Controversy Over Milano Fashion Week

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A lack of inclusion and diversity or a matter of money?


WAMI is the acronym for “We Are Made In Italy”, a collective of BIPOC designers. Stella Jean, an Italian designer of Haitian origin, is at the helm of this group.

Early in February, while Carlo Capasa, president of “Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana”, introduced the Fall/ Winter schedule, Stella Jean suddenly stood up and denounced the lack of inclusion.

“No promises made by the president of Camera Moda have been kept.”

“We were at the opening of the February fashion show calendar but we had to withdraw because, how do we pay for the collections if the designers don’t have the means?”

Stella Jean

Wami, Stella Jean and Camera Moda: the controversy


So, Stella Jean said she dropped out of fashion week because Camera Moda didn’t keep their promise to support BIPOC designers. Also, on the same day, she started a hunger strike. Consequently, Camera Moda’s president replied they’ve supported the BIPOC collective of designers for two years, meaning four seasons. Furthermore, Capasa added they did what they could and couldn’t become entrepreneurs.

Fashion business: a matter of representation or money?


Having a certain knowledge of the fashion field, we wonder how it can be possible to set up a fashion brand in two years. Indeed, the situation is more complex than it seems, and we can identify three main problems:
First, money is the biggest issue. If you can invest in your project, whatever your race is, you’ll find a way to show your collection. Open doors in showrooms, exhibitions or fashion shows.
Second, everything has already been done in fashion, and it’s difficult for new designers to create something new or special which would make them stand out, pushing those in the industry to search for them.
Third, “black lives matter” – inclusion – diversity – disability – sustainability – fluidity – are just buzzwords the fashion industry uses for promotion. Nothing more.

Two-year support to launch a fashion brand: is it enough?


In the complexity determined by money, creativity, and representation, Camera Moda offered WAMI a two-year plan. Is it enough to launch underrepresented brands? It seems tough. Especially now.

In fact, in an oversaturated fashion market, the truth is that there isn’t much space. There are more brands than people who would purchase them. Time for a change!

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Community: Understanding The True Meaning

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Valuable insight from Simon Sinek


Now everything revolves around the concept of community. But can you understand the true meaning of it? Simon Sinek had the perfect response.

“A community is
a group of people
who agree to grow together.”
Simon Sinek

Community & growth


According to Simon Sinek, the purpose of a community is not just about having something in common, sharing a culture, heritage or a specific interest. It’s deeper than that. In fact, there’s an element of growth which comes from a journey you enrol in with a group of people. Specifically, growth is the product of a reciprocal process of shared interactions.

Community: making a change together


Fashion to celebrate the value of research and to tell the story of our times: this is a mission we share with people who want to make a change. And it’s a growth process, indeed. Because through our activity, we do more than just fashion. We use our blog and connections to discuss fashion and lifestyle as key to analysing society and promoting climate change awareness. And sustainability against greenwashing.

We started by ordering small productions of international brands and independent designers. An exclusive selection of timeless fashion and meaningful garments without gender barriers. While we are studying how to implement a practice of circular fashion, we shed light on what we consume and how we throw away, bringing about critical discussions.

What we learned


Our planet is an open-air landfill, and we must stop expecting our litter to disappear magically. Furthermore, we cannot move from capitalism to green capitalism just to keep consuming as we did before. We need something different to fight the climate emergency.

Buy less (far less), buy better is how we lead to thoughtful consumption.

Telling stories about fashion, lifestyle and climate change, inspiring and being inspired, we have a positive impact on each other. As a tiny community, we try to change for the better. And so we grow together, open to possibilities.

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Gendered Fashion Weeks, Genderless Fashion & Sustainability

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Do we still need separate men’s and women’s fashion weeks?


In order to make sense, genderless fashion and gendered fashion weeks should find a thoughtful convergence. And not only from a style perspective but for the compelling necessity of a more sustainable industry.

During fashion weeks, which last about one week for each category, womenswear and menswear, designers present their new collections. Now there are two elements:
First, the fashion industry needs a more sustainable approach.
Second, many designers lately proposed clothes less defined by gender.
The intersection of these two points can help the fashion industry change for the better.

Genderless fashion: what does it mean?


Contemporary fashion is more gender-fluid, and the separation between men’s and women’s clothing seems less felt. Apparently, people are free to select clothes from the category they prefer. Indeed, genderless fashion doesn’t mean renouncing femininity or masculinity but having the freedom to pick the garments suitable for yourself.

Genderless has become one of the most represented concepts in fashion designs. So why does the fashion industry keep dividing the schedule into women’s and men’s fashion shows? It seems contradictory in terms of style proposal and sustainability, too.

Fundamentally, we are free to choose. Designers can create the image they like following their creativity and vision of style. At the same time, everyone can refer to femininity and masculinity to express their personal tastes.

Gendered fashion weeks & sustainability


But it is not just a matter of style and freedom of expression. In the face of the environmental crisis, sustainability must be a priority in the fashion industry. In fact, weaving together men’s and women’s on the same runway would not only optimise costs for the brands but would reduce the impact of fashion shows on the environment.

And so, do we still need gendered fashion weeks? Presenting one calendar only seems to be a more sustainable solution for the future of fashion.

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