Prada Builds an Entire Show Around One Garment, and Diesel Says Goodbye to Its Designer in the Same Week

Milan Fashion Week opened on September 23 with two shows that could not have made more different arguments about what a single fashion moment can hold. At Fondazione Prada, Miuccia Prada built an entire spring 2027 collection out of nothing but skirts, no dresses, no trousers, no shorts, styled instead with bralettes, jumpers, windbreakers, and biker jackets across grey tailoring, crystal-flower eveningwear, neon florals, and draped printed silk. The message, delivered on an illuminated Perspex floor, was that one garment can be as flexible and as rebellious as an entire wardrobe if a house is confident enough to prove it.

A few hours away, Diesel closed out Glenn Martens' tenure with reworked denim, trompe-l'oeil effects, and distressed streetwear, staged as an immersive club party complete with dancers from the collective (La)Horde moving through the audience. Martens is leaving Diesel behind but stays on as creative director of Maison Margiela, which makes this less a farewell than a scheduling decision, though the room did not treat it that way.

Layer in Vogue World: Milano's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II spectacle, where Armani, Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Gucci, and Valentino each staged one-of-a-kind looks for a crowd that included Jennifer Lopez and Dakota Johnson, and Milan's opening day reads less like a single fashion week and more like six brands each trying to prove they understand spectacle better than the house next door.

Kyle Duford, Founder & Editor, BRNDWIRE. More from Kyle →