Fashion shows, exhibitions, events: over 200 events during the new fashion week

From today until Monday 28, Milan once again becomes the capital of women’s ready-to-wear and a showcase for the Spring/Summer 2027 collections, with over two hundred fashion shows, showroom presentations, events and exhibitions.

The standout names on the first day are Prada and Diesel, with the latest collection designed by Glenn Martens for the OTB brand: on Friday, however, the Belgian designer announced that he would be staying with the group founded by Renzo Rosso as creative director of Maison Margiela. To see the debut of Dario Vitale, who has been at the helm of Emporio Armani’s creative direction since last Wednesday, we will have to wait until February 2027, whilst the main brand, Giorgio Armani, will hold its show on Sunday, just over a year after the designer’s death on 5 September 2025. Meanwhile, yesterday at Armani/Silos, the venue was packed for the launch of the biography *Giorgio secondo Armani*, written by Roberta Filippini for Marsilio and published on 1 September.

The first half of 2026 has been a difficult period for the fashion industry, even for the luxury sector, and there is great anticipation for the January–September figures from listed companies, which are due to be released in the coming weeks. Cucinelli, Moncler and Zegna have just come off the back of a very solid first half of the year, but the summer has brought fresh geopolitical uncertainties and, for the upstream part of the supply chain, Confindustria Moda sounded the alarm on Friday. The latest sharp rise in gas prices is putting pressure on the textile industry, starting with finishing firms – dye works, printing works and finishing plants – for which energy is an essential component of the production process: in just three months, the benchmark gas price has risen by around 37 per cent, explained Dino Masso, chairman of the finishing section of Confindustria Moda, and the federation’s president, Luca Sburlati. ‘Compared with a year ago, the price of gas has risen by around 80 per cent: a trend that risks having extremely serious consequences for the supply chain,’ emphasised Sburlati. “We are calling on the Government to take prompt action to prevent further and extreme hardship for businesses in our sector, which have already been severely affected by the crisis of recent years.”

Cautiously positive signs, however, have come from Confindustria Moda Accessori regarding exports to Europe in the first six months, and from the trade fairs grouped under the FashionLink platform, including Micam and Mipel (see *Il Sole 24 Ore* of 18 September). The figures for Lineapelle, the tanning industry trade fair, were also encouraging: over a thousand exhibitors welcomed 22,800 trade visitors, 43 per cent of whom were from abroad, representing a 10 per cent increase compared with the September 2025 edition.

As is the case during the other fashion weeks (February and September for womens’ fashion, January and June for mens’ fashion), there will be positive effects on the city: Confcommercio estimates that between now and 28 September, revenue from tourist spending will exceed 219 million, representing an 8 per cent fall compared with September 2025, but a 1.4 per cent increase on February this year: 100.8 million euros will be spent on shopping; 85.4 million on accommodation and catering; 32.9 million on transport. Almost 141,000 visitors are expected, with an increase in foreign visitors (+22 per cent) and a decrease in Italian visitors (-29 per cent). On the subject of shopping, it is worth noting the many new store openings taking place at the moment, from Dior to Prada, including Mattioli (see the interview on this page) and, staying on the subject of jewellery, the sixth edition of Milan Jewellery Week will be launched today, running from 20 to 26 October.