fashion industry

Luca de Meo blueprint: Putting the customer back in the driver’s seat

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Speed, data, and customer focus: Is luxury abandoning the creative genius for the customer?


Luca de Meo, the Renault-CEO-turned-luxury-boss, has presented his blueprint for reviving the Kering group. His plan involves a radical shake-up: splitting design between creative vision and consumer goods “common sense”, while dramatically slashing development times.

A new mantra emerges: 20% pure creativity, 80% consumer understanding. Let us explore the plan to put the customer at the heart of the house whilst accelerating its pace. In essence, what does it mean for the fashion industry?

Luca de Meo blueprint: The 80/20 rule comes to high fashion


Central to Luca de Meo’s strategy is a decisive move to “put the customer back at the centre, so as to no longer depend exclusively on the creative director’s vision.” This is not about eradicating creative skill, but about applying it more strategically. He asserts that a designer’s individual vision remains essential—but only for the top 20% of a collection, the “most innovative and iconic products” that define a house’s dream.

For the remaining 80%—the core assortment of small leather goods, footwear, and ready-to-wear—a new discipline is required. De Meo argues it is vital to “instill the common sense that prevails in the consumer goods sector,” grounding decisions in a “precise understanding of consumer expectations.”

This heralds a fundamental shift towards a customer-centric vision. Aesthetic choices will no longer flow purely from the designer’s intuition but will be informed by hard data, including market analysis, sales figures, and direct consumer feedback. The challenge — and the ultimate goal — is to meet these tastes head-on “without sacrificing the identity of the houses”. 

The need for speed: Halving the horizon


A direct consequence of this data-driven approach is a dramatic increase in speed. According to French media reports, de Meo aims to halve product development times, compressing the journey from initial idea to market launch from a year down to just six months.

This rapid acceleration signals a fundamental shift, borrowing tactics from fast fashion and intentionally breaking away from the luxury sector’s traditionally measured, meticulous pace. 

It’s a bold gamble that seeks to make luxury more agile and responsive. 

Final thoughts


The Luca de Meo blueprint presents a pragmatic, if radical, prescription to stabilise Kering. But for the wider world of fashion, it prompts a more fundamental question: what truly defines luxury in the modern age?

On one hand, the logic is compelling. In the face of an industry downturn and global instability, the 80/20 model acts as a crucial safeguard. It is a direct response to the kind of reinvention seen at Gucci under Alessandro Michele—a creative explosion that ultimately saturated the market, turning the brand into a marché aux puces where anything goes. In this context, a disciplined return to steadfast maison codes is a defensible strategy for ensuring brand integrity and commercial resilience.

Yet, this very discipline—with its customer-centric data and relentless push for speed—forces a confrontation with the soul of luxury. Can the core values of creativity, craftsmanship, and exclusivity survive a velocity that halves development times? The strategy seems to accelerate the industry’s existing trajectory towards industrialisation, leading us to a critical juncture: are we heading towards a future of mass-produced luxury? If so, what, then, becomes of exclusivity?

This tension invites a pointed critique, coloured by de Meo’s own background: is this a redefinition of luxury, or simply running a fashion house like a car manufacturer, with seasonal collections rolling off a conceptual production line? The blueprint makes its priorities clear; championing a ‘slow fashion’ paradigm is not part of the equation.

In conclusion, the answer, in de Meo’s vision, is unequivocal. For the architect of this blueprint, there is no room for nostalgia. In the race for the future of luxury, there is no space for slow fashion.

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Black Carpet Awards: Side events or true inclusion?

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Does celebrating diversity in collateral events really promote inclusion?


The third edition of the Black Carpet Awards recently lit up the Teatro Manzoni during Milano Fashion Week. The event is promoted by the Afro Fashion Association. It celebrates Leaders of Change—individuals of all origins and backgrounds who have distinguished themselves by promoting diversity, inclusion, and equity within the creative industry. 

While such initiatives are undoubtedly meaningful, they also ignite a critical question: should diversity be honored in separate, side events, or should all origins, voices, and experiences be seamlessly integrated into the main stage?

Black Carpet Awards: The dual edge of the side event


Creating a side event like the Black Carpet Awards has both strengths and limitations:

Strengths:

• It shines a spotlight specifically on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE). And it ensures that those values and the people embodying them aren’t overlooked.
• It builds vital visibility and fosters a powerful sense of community, making representation the central theme rather than a footnote.

Limits:

• By existing “outside” the official calendar, it can unintentionally reinforce the idea that diversity is a niche topic, not an integral part of the industry’s fabric.
• It risks creating a separation: the official stage for the mainstream, the side stage for diversity.

However, in one of our previous posts, we explored whether fashion is a matter of representation or money. Disability, of course, adds another layer to the question.

Final thoughts: Diversity fully integrated


So, where does this leave us? Side events like the Black Carpet Awards are vital because they provide visibility, role models, and communities that might otherwise remain unseen. Yet keeping these celebrations separate risks reinforcing the idea that diversity is an exception rather than the norm.

True inclusion means weaving diverse voices into the industry’s very core. Camera Moda should fully integrate diversity into the main and official events, making it a core value rather than an add-on.

Progress will not be achieved by parallel stages, but when the main stage itself reflects the richness of all identities. Diversity should no longer need its own platform; it should be the platform.

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Fashion weeks are mirrors: Notes on Milano Fashion Week SS26

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Creativity and new directions in a time of uncertainty


Fashion weeks are mirrors. They don’t just display clothes—they reflect the tensions, aspirations, and anxieties of our times. This Spring/Summer 26 season in Milan, themes of escape, utility, and transformation emerged, reflecting an industry grappling with its role.

And so, following our examination of these overarching tensions at Milano Fashion Week SS26, we now share some notes on the collections that defined the season. 

The collections: A spectrum of responses


Diesel: Glenn Martens moved beyond the traditional catwalk, staging a scavenger hunt across the city with looks hidden in giant plastic eggs. This playful, decentralised show challenged the conventional fashion week format.

Jil Sander: Simone Bellotti’s debut focused on 90s minimalism. A remarkably clean choice that showcased the body through cuts inspired by Lucio Fontana. Indeed, the house described it as “a balance between classicism and modernity.”

Marras: The show was a poetic journey interweaving literature, art, and fashion. Inspired by a Sardinian sojourn imagined for the Bloomsbury Group, models paraded among salt flats with books tucked inside. The collection, in soft, whispered colours, featured lines that were either flowing and fluid, or androgynous and structured, shaping a universe that blended cultures.

Fendi: The collection emphasised leggerezza (lightness), colour, and an essentiality that embraced both the feminine and the masculine. It stood out as a conceptual and material dialogue, particularly in pieces woven from multiple colours, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship and technical skill.

Prada: Offered a proposition for dressing in uncertain times with an accent on colours. Can vintage be modern? The answer was a masterclass in layering volumes and colours into contemporary uniforms. The collection was described as a “response to uncertainty—clothes that can transform, change and adapt,” granting the wearer “autonomy” and designed with “meaning and utility” for surviving the modern world.

Moschino: Creative director Adrian Appiolaza asked, “What if value doesn’t come from cost but from really going deep into creative ideas?” Inspired by Arte Povera and the brand’s native irony, the collection found preciousness in humble materials like jute, championing reuse, recycling, and upcycling.

Dolce & Gabbana: As the cast of The Devil Wears Prada entered the show, the line between reality and cinema blurred. The knowing giggles shared between Anna Wintour and Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep) were a noteworthy moment. But we wondered why an entire collection focused on pyjamas, which isn’t even a new concept. 

Bottega Veneta: Under the new creative direction of Louise Trotter, the brand saw a strong debut. She worked masterfully with volumes and three-dimensional textures intrinsic to the brand, developing a rich and sophisticated minimalism.

Versace: Now part of the Prada Group, Dario Vitale debuted with a Miu Miu-ish touch. Colours and a mix of prints, bold and flirty tailoring for a modern 80s-inspired Versace.

Final thoughts: Fashion weeks are mirrors


In conclusion, we take these notes on the Milano Fashion Week SS26 partly for ourselves — to trace the currents shaping the industry and what we might expect next. And yes, we intentionally skipped Demna’s Gucci, because we simply don’t get the point.

Italy’s heritage of craftsmanship, design, and quality remains a source of immense pride. Yet, fashion cannot be considered in isolation. In fact, the central issue is not any single brand or show; it is systemic. It is capitalism — a pattern repeating across industries worldwide. But why does everyone ignore it?

Fashion weeks are mirrors. The SS26 season proves that creativity is not dead — it’s restless, searching, sometimes playful, sometimes profound. Yet behind the spectacle, fashion continues to wrestle with questions of value, responsibility, and purpose. Until those deeper contradictions are addressed, each season will remain both a dazzling act of imagination and a stark reminder of the system that contains it.

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Aesthetics and anxieties at Milano Fashion Week SS26

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The fashion week unfolds between creative visions, the rising cost of luxury, and a crisis of relevance


Dedicated to one of its founding figures, Giorgio Armani, Milano Fashion Week SS26 opened in a climate of stark contrasts: aesthetics and creative visions on one side, mounting industry anxieties on the other. This tension was formalised on 24 September. The Camera Moda gathered Italy’s top fashion executives at Casa Cipriani to defend the future of Made in Italy. Figures including Luigi Maramotti (Max Mara), Renzo Rosso (OTB), Remo Ruffini (Moncler), Alfonso Dolce (Dolce & Gabbana), Gildo Zegna, and Lorenzo Bertelli (Prada) joined Carlo Capasa, the institution’s president, to advocate for safeguarding the national value chain through creativity, sustainability, and stricter regulation.

While the debuts at Gucci, Jil Sander, Bottega Veneta, and Versace generated excitement, this edition also encapsulates the heritage of Italian fashion alongside its most pressing challenges.

The atmosphere is vibrant, with buyers searching for direction and designers striving to deliver it. Yet beneath the surface, unease is palpable. Deep economic instability, no clear plan B for Trump tariffs, sit alongside the persistent shadow of labour exploitation, with high-profile investigations still haunting several luxury houses. 

“We have an immense know-how that goes back a long way and we want to defend what our predecessors built,” Gildo Zegna stressed, pointing to the need for production control in volatile markets. Renzo Rosso, meanwhile, reiterated OTB’s pillars of “creativity, sustainability, and technology.” He warned that without creativity, “a product is nothing more than an object.”

But there is also tension in the narrative. Industry leaders call for optimism, even warning that “negativity impacts store traffic,” as Rosso put it. At the same time, Lorenzo Bertelli identified inequality as the greatest threat to the sector. Luigi Maramotti’s observed that “the consumer is confused” in a world where Europe’s sustainability efforts are undermined by divergent standards elsewhere.

The contradictions cut deep. Carlo Capasa defended the industry against accusations of widespread illegality. He cited Istat figures that suggest around 2–3% of production involves irregular labour. Still, he acknowledged the need of a new legislation to regulate and protect the supply chain. That is “the basis for saving the industry.”

And yet, a striking admission lingers. A while back, Miuccia Prada said:

“Fashion is for when you do not have problems. The moment someone has a health problem or there is a war, fashion is certainly not relevant.”

That perspective clashes with the industry’s insistence on optimism as a survival strategy. In a world marked by war in Ukraine and genocide in Gaza, fashion’s plea to “stay positive” risks sounding disconnected.  And with this background, whether NY, London, Milano, or Paris, we are all on the same boat.

The shows go on, between aesthetics and anxieties. But the fundamental question remains: what is fashion’s responsibility in the face of a crisis of relevance, inequality, and value acknowledged by its own leaders?

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SS26 London Fashion Week: The high-low fashion line collapses

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Is London still a bastion of creative rebellion, or a stage for fast fashion exploitation?


The SS26 London Fashion Week has concluded, with its expanded schedule seeking a renaissance yet exposing a contradiction within the industry. While houses such as Burberry, Simone Rocha, and Erdem reaffirmed their creative authority, the prominent platform given to H&M raised a pressing question: how does this align with London’s professed commitment to sustainability? The line between luxury and fast fashion has not just blurred—it has collapsed.

SS26 London Fashion Week: Creative highlights


At Burberry, Daniel Lee recomposed British heritage with a rockstar edge. The collection was a tribute to swinging London—Mod-inspired short hemlines, slim suits, and leather boots, all set to a Black Sabbath soundtrack. A tribute to Ozzy Osbourne that delighted us fans. (Watch the show here).
Lee commented, “Musicians have always had incredible style, and together with fashion they form a really strong culture.” That was certainly true in the past. Today, rock stars don’t have personal style but stylists. And they’re paid to wear branded clothes—but that’s a topic for another post.

Simone Rocha offered a breath of fresh air with a feminine, childlike, and whimsical collection where lightness and an ethereal mood prevailed. Her designs reminded us why London has long been a laboratory for creative experimentation. (See the looks here).
Meanwhile, Erdem explored “overlapping identities,” blurring the lines between history and imagination in a masterful display of narrative craftsmanship. (Watch the show here).

Yet, this creative reaffirmation was juxtaposed with the event’s strategic inclusion of H&M. The Swedish fast-fashion giant hosted an immersive showcase, leveraging the city’s youthful energy. Its presence was no anomaly but a calculated move that speaks volumes about the event’s current priorities.

The logic behind H&M’s platform


Laura Weir, the new CEO of the British Fashion Council and a former Vogue fashion editor, has described the task of restoring London’s fashion status as “herculean.” After Brexit, Covid, economic instability, and wars, her effort is understandable. But if the goal is to strengthen London’s global standing, is giving H&M such a prominent role really a meaningful long-term choice?

For H&M, a place on the LFW schedule is the ultimate PR coup. It borrows prestige and “cool factor” to reposition itself from a seller of cheap basics to a legitimate trend-maker, helping to justify its premium collaborations and designer partnerships.

From the organisers’ perspective, the logic is equally clear: LFW is, after all, a business. Burberry generates press, but the British Fashion Council needs revenue. H&M’s substantial investment helps subsidise smaller, emerging designers—the lifeblood of London’s reputation for innovation. Furthermore, an H&M presentation can attract celebrities and mega-influencers who might not attend a smaller, avant-garde show. (Sadness of contemporary fashion, as it sounds.) This generates massive social media buzz and media coverage that amplify the event’s visibility.

When blurring lines becomes a blurred vision


The lines between luxury fashion and fast fashion are no longer merely blurred—they are actively erasing each other.

Luxury has adopted the pace of fast fashion: pre-collections, cruise collections, and countless “drops.” They need to constantly feed the content and sales machine. They also court influencers and celebrities in a way that mirrors mass-market marketing.

Fast fashion seeks the cultural capital of luxury: H&M hires former luxury designers, produces “premium” lines, and runs high-production-value campaigns to emulate a luxury feel.

London Fashion Week has always celebrated eclecticism and experimentation. London has historically been the birthplace of street style co-opted by high fashion (punk, mod, etc.). It’s where Vivienne Westwood sold clothes in a shop called SEX. But there is a world of difference between elevating grassroots rebellion and platforming a corporate fast fashion giant. 

The critical question is: what is the cost of this “inclusive” curation? By including H&M, is LFW nurturing creativity or legitimising a business model built on overconsumption? This move directly challenges the halo of exclusivity and creativity—and most importantly, the ecological values London claims to champion. 

Final thoughts


The rock energy of Burberry and the H&M presentation are two sides of the same coin in today’s fashion industry. SS26 London Fashion Week is not merely observing the collapse of the high-low divide; it is actively curating and capitalising on it.

The danger is that the marketing power of fast-fashion players may drown out emerging voices, turning what should be a celebration of creativity into a marketing convention. True London “street” DNA is anti-establishment and authentic. Aligning with corporate fast fashion is the opposite—it’s the ultimate embrace of the establishment.

By giving H&M a platform, London Fashion Week may not just be selling tickets — it may be selling its soul.

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