Several of the industry’s biggest houses were the stars of this September’s Milan Fashion Week as it marked a pivotal moment of creative shift. New design directors debuted at Gucci, Versace, Jil Sander and Bottega Veneta unveiling their visions for their respective brands. Revealing a renewed energy in the Italian fashion landscape, the four collections capture the creative tension between heritage, storytelling and innovation.
Gucci by Demna:
A new chapter begins at Gucci that had the spotlight turned on the maison for this Milan Fashion Week. As one of the most relevant designers on the fashion scene takes the reins as creative director, everyone is eager to see how the change will impact the brand. Best known for his appointment at Balenciaga and as one of the founders of Vetements, Demna unveiled Gucci’s new identity in an unconventional way.
Instead of the expected fashion show we were served a cinematic event. “The Tiger” is a thirty-minute short film that presented the Spring Summer 26 collection entitled “Gucci: La Famiglia”. Staged with a Hollywood cast, it is a metaphor for family, failure and release. Each character represented an archetype, inspired by the House’s codes, thus transforming Gucci’s collection into a living narrative: the quick-tempered Incazzata in her fiery red coat, the playful La Bomba with her extravagant fur coat. Figures like La Mecenate, La Contessa, Sciura, and Primadonna channel old-world sophistication, while Principino and La Principessa reflect two sides of modern vanity.
With this approach, Demna proves once again, in a strategy similar to the one he used at Balenciaga, that fashion is a means of expression and it’s not merely worn.
Demna knows how to make Gucci feel renewed while preserving at the same time the house’s identity. Francesca Bellettini, the new CEO, said it best: “Gucci will have two souls: historical heritage and fashion. It is not enough to instill creativity if the product does not reflect Gucci’s positioning.” La Famiglia celebrates audacity, sensuality and unapologetic glamour, embodying “the Gucciness” of Gucci. Ease and intention coexist in gestures of sprezzatura: stepped-in mules, slingback heels, and clothes that appear effortlessly composed. Gucci’s icons re-emerge with new proportions and attitudes—the Bamboo 1947 bag, the Horsebit loafer, and the Flora print now rendered in after-dark tones. The GG monogram, Guccio Gucci’s lasting signature, dominates from eyewear to footwear in a spirit of “all or nothing.”
This film is also a means of expression for Demna who renounces his once controlling habits, saying that his past experiences have taught him to let go. The tiger, though not physically present in the movie but a lingering entity, is a representation of the criticism and perception that brands and designers face in the fashion industry. Gucci under Demna embraces freedom, transforming chaos and flaws into something glamorous.
Dario Vitale for Versace:
Dario Vitale’s debut was surely one of the most awaited events of this Milan Fashion Week. Don’t let the initials DV fool you – Donatella Versace has officially passed the torch to Dario Vitale, the former Miu Miu design direc
tor and the first creative mind outside the Versace family to ever lead the house. Expectations were sky-high, and the mystery surrounding his first show only added fuel to the anticipation.
The invitation – a letter, unsigned – read like a provocation: “Wear something reckless, as though mocking propriety… the curtains are drawn, the wine is chilled.” It was the first clue that something new, something more visceral, was about to unfold.
Between the walls of Milan’s Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, surrounded by Caravaggio and Leonardo, Vitale staged a performance of contrasts: bourgeois beauty meets domestic disarray. At the center of the ornate gallery stood an unmade bed, empty glasses, a hairdryer, and crumpled sheets (his own, as he later revealed). It was a perfect metaphor for his vision – the glamour of Versace, but stripped, lived-in, undone.
Vitale looked back to Gianni’s 1980s, but not with nostalgia. Instead, he extracted the essence – that fearless sensuality, that Italian boldness – and reinterpreted it for a generation that wants to dance, sweat, and live in their clothes. There were slouchy bombers and high-waisted striped jeans, vests cut away at the sides to reveal the torso, and body-skimming dresses that plunged low at the back, revealing a hint of underwear. Tailoring came oversized and brightly colored, like treasures rediscovered in a vintage store and brought back to life.
Accessories told a quieter story. The soft brown-leather handbags and moccasins – born from a collaboration with Onitsuka Tiger – hinted at a new kind of bourgeois elegance: less trophy, more tool. A simplicity to desire, not to display.
But make no mistake – this wasn’t minimalism. Embroidered waistcoats, crystal-studded skirts, and chainmail bra tops glimmered under the lights, though now they were styled with irreverence: a cardigan tied at the hips, a belt left undone, a zipper halfway open. “Versace is not just about an evening gown to the floor,” Vitale said backstage. “It’s about reality, movement, energy – about how people live.”
His references reached beyond fashion: to Pasolini’s “Teorema”, where a mysterious visitor disrupts a perfect bourgeois family – not to destroy it, but to awaken it. That’s what Vitale seems to be doing at Versace: shaking things up, pulling back the satin curtain to reveal something messier, truer, and more human.
It was a risky debut – bold, sensual, and intimate – but one that captured both the spirit of Gianni and the pulse of today. In a season filled with creative-director shake-ups, Vitale managed to do what many didn’t: he made us feel something. Between chaos and control, glamour and reality, his Versace breathes again.
Jil Sander:
The expression“nude garments” could perfectly encapsulate the Jil Sander collection shown in Milano by Simone Bellotti; minimalistic in essence but never boring, reminding us of the 90s’ era of the brand. What Bellotti brought over from his previous experiences, especially from the 16 years spent at Gucci and the role of creative director at Bally, is the attention to details, a guide, throughout this collection, for a sensitive exploration of the idea of purity enriched by a suspended feeling of coolness. The translation of this concept into practice came through blacks, whites, grays and blues paired with brighter and bolder colors, tailored pieces with a round shaped cut-out at the breasts exposing either a matching or an adorned bra, and austere skirts slashed at the mid-thigh in a Fontana-esque fashion.
“This felt exactly like what Jil Sander should be — minimal without being dull, clean without feeling sterile, and refreshingly removed from the now-tired ‘quiet luxury’ trend. The collection felt confident, energetic and also fun. The cinched leather coats and cropped wool jumpers, especially, were a highlight for me.”
– Ted Stansfield, editor-in-chief of Dazed, for Vogue
Bellotti delivered a soulful minimalistic show that managed to pull off a homecoming of sorts, going back to the roots and the age of Jil Sander herself, showing a great understanding and ability to build upon the archives, hopefully paving the way for a successful new chapter for the brand.
Bottega Veneta – Lauren Trotter
“The language of Bottega Veneta is Intrecciato,” declared Louise Trotter at her debut for the Milanese maison. To her, intrecciato isn’t just a technique — it’s a metaphor: two strands woven together to become stronger. That’s the foundation of her vision for Bottega Veneta 2026 — the meeting of heritage and newness, tradition and transformation.
Trotter’s debut is not a revolution, but a conversation. Instead of chasing shock, she focuses on continuity: how to move the brand forward without breaking its spell. Her intrecciato becomes a symbol of that balance, a way to connect the artisanal with the modern.
Movement is the collection’s core. Fringe becomes a language of its own, breathing through dresses, coats, and accessories. Luminous skirts shimmer in recycled leather and fiberglass, catching the light. Parachute silk dresses billow and drift with every step, evoking an easy sensuality that feels new for the house. Compared to Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega — sculptural, precise, almost architectural — Trotter’s interpretation is softer.
Her concept of “soft functionality,” once seen in her work for Gap and Tommy Hilfiger, translates beautifully here. Everything feels wearable yet elevated, relaxed yet meticulous. There’s movement and emotion in every stitch, but also an underlying discipline — proof that luxury can be lived in, not just looked at.
The collection doesn’t discard the past; it builds upon it. Trotter keeps craftsmanship at the heart of Bottega Veneta, describing it as “the means through which the people who make it and the people who wear it matter.” The level of artisanal devotion borders on the mythic: a hand-woven cape of nappa ribbons took 4,000 hours and fifty artisans to complete, while a monumental intrecciato sweater — weighing nearly fifty pounds — turned technique into sculpture.
Even the accessories speak her language of refinement and intimacy. The historical Lauren 1980 clutch reappears with its timeless charm, accompanied by new silhouettes like the Framed Tote and Squash Bag reinterpret the maison’s codes through gentle innovation.
Trotter’s debut feels like a breath drawn between two eras — through her intrecciato of craftsmanship and emotion, Trotter reminds us that true modernity doesn’t erase tradition — it weaves it into something stronger.
