At Milan Fashion Week, craftsmanship is speaking louder than monograms: the performers are staging runway shows, sending out Instagram-worthy show invites and courting Jen-Z. Instead, maisons are expanding their portfolios, focusing on tailoring, and saying goodbye to the gritty street style that has long dominated the catwalks.
The appointment of new creative directors – Maximilian Davies at Ferragamo, Sabato de Sarno at Gucci, and Mathieu Blazzi at Bottega Veneta – reflects a shift in luxury brands to focus on recession-proof high-net-worth investors.Diversity, scarcity, preservation of value and secrecy.”
according to Bain and CompanyInternational most important customers (VIC) – the top 2 percent of wealthy consumers – were responsible for 40 percent of luxury sales in 2022, with HNWIs forecast to contribute to a growing share of luxury income in 2023.
Chinese fashion blogger @Avafoo, who boasts 3.5 million followers on Weibo, has spotted this trend. She believes the resulting pieces are more attractive to HNWI consumers.
“This season’s collections have allowed them to find their ideal wardrobe without following a single fashion. Perhaps going back to the classics and leveraging the brand’s unique values will be a big trend we see in the future,” she says. Jing Daily In an interview on WeChat.
The top five brands ranked during Milan Fashion Week were ranked based on their EMV (earned media value) performance from February 22-28. Image: Courtesy of Lefty.io
Max Mara
For Fall 2023, Max Mara finds inspiration in 18th-century figures like Emilie du Chatelet. Image: Max Mara
For Fall 2023, Max Mara travels back to the 18th century – the Age of Enlightenment – in search of the modern.
Inspired by women like the French mathematician and natural philosopher Emilie du Chatelet, creative director Ian Griffiths delivers tightly drawn and refined designs that champion rationality, seek knowledge and challenge authority. Romance is added by combining rich brocade fabrics, side hoops, bustiers and chemises.
The classic yet futuristic collection, dominated by the brand’s signature camel color, has received an overwhelmingly positive response from Chinese netizens. “Needless to say, if you have money, you can buy all the collections with your eyes closed,” wrote @mirrorfissure, a micro-influencer based in Beijing.
Todd
For Fall 2023, creative director Walter Chiapponi celebrates Tod’s Italian heritage, proposing a collection of contemporary silhouettes. Image: Tod’s
For Fall 2023, Tod’s creative director Walter Chiapponi celebrates the Italianness of the brand by presenting a collection of quality and contemporary silhouettes, combining the quality of traditional craftsmanship with the softness of precious fabrics. The color palette is mostly warm camel, brown and cream tones, interspersed with monochromatic black and white.
Tod’s iconic moccasin and D bag are reinterpreted with a modern touch with woven detailing or rich A timeless buckle And made it expensive with the best leather. Thanks to Todd Ambassador Xiao ZhanThe account has made waves on the Chinese Internet, appearing at the top of Weibo Hot Search.
Gucci
Gucci took historical cues from past collections, including Tom Ford’s ’90s slim fit. Image: Gucci
Gucci announced the appointment of Sabato de Sarno as its new creative director last month. The former Valentino fashion director will start his first show for the Italian house in September this year, ready for men’s and women’s wear. So, this season saw the Gucci design team take on the potential of the collection for the second time since Alessandro Michele left in December 2022.
The headless team took historical cues from past Gucci collections — like the slim ’90s Tom Ford-era dresses and Alessandro Michele’s unique styles — and reinterpreted them through a modern lens.
Despite not having a creative head, Gucci still managed to find a place in the forefront of social media attention. Based on an influential market platform leftGucci claimed second place at Milan Fashion Week Fall 2023, earning $14.5 million in earned media value (EMV), according to data from February 22 to 28. According to data from February 22 to 28, the presence of Chinese celebrity Xiao Zhan contributed to the online buzz.
Prada
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons showed cashmere knitwear and maxi dresses with paper-like flowers. Image: Prada
The creative duo of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons wore uniforms like nylon parkas in army green and white-and-white maxi dresses adorned with wedding dress details like paper-cut flowers.
Influencer @Avafoo “Paradise’s minimalist designs focused on cutting and craftsmanship and were extremely eye-catching and unique, sparking a deep reflection in the fashion industry.” Jing Daily. “All kinds of sweaters were paired with well-designed wedding dress-like dresses. Elements of formal wear have been transformed into everyday wear. There was a lot of food for thought: Is there a difference between formal and casual clothes?
She adds that the 3D flowers on the dress are proof of high-end execution. @Avafoo added: “It’s amazing how a brand can deliver a sense of luxury while maintaining a sense of simplicity.
The collection was widely admired by fashionistas, and the presence of 18-year-old Tik Tok phenomenon Charlie D’Amelio and Chinese brand ambassador Kai Yihun added to the visibility of the show. Prada took the top spot in the EMV rankings, generating $36.3 million in media value, beating out runner-up Gucci by a wide margin. left.
Fendi
Kim Jones twists masculine purity of tailoring into feminine sophistication. Image: Fendi
For this season, Kim Jones explores elegance and classism through a subtly inverted lens, twisting clean masculine tailoring into feminine sophistication. The star creative director drew inspiration from Delfina Deltrez Fendi’s wardrobe, “how she wears her Fendi collection with an instinctive sense of self-expression,” says the brand’s press release.
Fendi is another brand that looks at the past with a modern approach. The collection celebrates the house’s history, with illustrations from the 1996 Fendi archives linked to Karl Lagerfeld’s 1981 versatile sweater.
Many Chinese celebrities attended the show – Cheng Xiao, Song Yuki and Xu Guang’an – as well as South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo. Thanks to their presence, the brand earned a spot on Lefty’s top-five list at Milan Fashion Week with $9.4 million in EMV.
Bottega Veneta
Intrecciato gave Blazy a refreshing take on the house’s codes, featuring high boots and oversized leather jackets. Image: Bottega Veneta
If there were any doubts about Kering’s risky decision to part ways with smitten Danielle Lee, Matthew Blazey has put them to bed. The creative director dazzled the audience with an amazing collection, but not with the level of performance or lavish luxury features. Instead, it was a whisper of beauty, quality and craftsmanship – anonymous chic.
Intrecciato offered a refreshing take on the house’s code that captivated the blazy audience by offering high boots, masculine sweaters and oversized leather jackets.
Media representatives, celebrities and influencers flocked to the stage to congratulate Blazy for putting on an amazing show. Bottega Veneta has returned to its roots. Instagram isn’t creating worthy “It” products, but it does require consumers to appreciate its artifacts.
Diesel
A Y2K fiesta where low-rise jeans, mini skirts and crystal-encrusted skirts took the stage. Image: Diesel
At Diesel, each guest received a box of Durex condoms. Yes, that was the invitation. In the center of the wheel, 200,000 boxes of condoms were piled together to form an impressive mountain where most of the guests took pictures.
“Living a successful life means being sex-positive, having fun, enjoying life, and being respected and safe,” Diesel creative director Glenn Martens said in a pre-show statement. A Y2K fiesta where low-rise jeans, mini skirts and crystal-encrusted skirts took the stage. The show seems perfect for the young hipsters of the TikTok generation.
The show’s soundtrack, which features ecstatic wailing sounds, has been banned from Chinese social media — Chinese reporters who attended the show said they could not upload videos of the show to local platforms.
Dolce & Gabbana
Previous collections from Dolce & Gabbana were dominated by monochromatic colors and nude shades. Image: Dolce & Gabbana
Has China forgiven Dolce and Gabbana yet? This year, some Chinese influencers, notably @孙怡静cristine and @季未燃JiweiJW, appeared at the Italian label show and posted about it on Weibo, attracting a few negative comments as of press time. Most responses praised the collection’s sense of revisited underwear and sleepwear. In past collections from Dolce & Gabbana, prints were off the charts, monochromatic colors and nude shades prevailed.
The presence of Kim Kardashian, who boasts 346 million followers on Instagram, has gained the attention of the luxury house. Dolce & Gabbana received 10.5 million dollars in EMV, which is in third place left. Yet, Dolce & Gabbana still has a long way to go to restore its image in China.