San Francisco Frontiers - Milan Fashion Week to mourn Armani, welcome new stars

Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Max Mara, Fendi, Roberto Cavalli, Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta are among those showcasing their Spring/Summer 2026 women's collections throughout the week.

But the event will be overshadowed by the death this month of Armani, the legendary 91-year-old head of a multi-billion-euro empire who helped put Milan on the fashion map.

Sunday's Giorgio Armani show was already going to be a grand affair, the culmination of celebrations marking 50 years of the label beloved of the Hollywood A-list.

Staged at Milan's prestigious Pinacoteca di Brera art museum, the show is now expected to act as a final tribute.

The museum is also hosting from September 24 until January 11 an anniversary exhibition of Armani's top 150 creations, a project long in the making on which the designer worked "until the last minute", according to the group.

"We celebrate Milan Fashion Week in memory of one of its founders: Giorgio Armani," the head of Italy's chamber of fashion, Carlo Capasa, said earlier this month.

He said Armani offered "creative, entrepreneurial, and human lessons" to the industry at a time of transformation, "in which vision, quality, and consistency represent essential values."

- New beginnings -

But even as the Milan fashion world mourns its king, this week will also see several hotly anticipated debuts, notably Georgian designer Demna at Gucci.

After a decade at Balenciaga, Demna is now charged with reversing a slump in sales at the Italian brand owned by French giant Kering -- arguably one of the toughest jobs in the luxury industry.

Gucci is not on the official catwalk calendar in Milan, but a private event is scheduled for Tuesday evening.

"If I understand correctly, it's a presentation, a film that will be kind of Demna's vision, how he interprets Gucci," Kering's new chief executive, Luca de Meo, told reporters earlier this month.

"It's going to be something a little different. I haven't been allowed to watch it yet."

Meanwhile, Dario Vitale is making his debut at Versace, after taking over on April 1 from Donatella Versace, who was creative director for nearly 30 years.

Again, no catwalk show is scheduled for the flashy brand, which was acquired by Prada just weeks after Vitale took over.

Instead, on Friday night, there will be an "intimate event, revealing Dario Vitale's debut collection for the House. A unique unveiling, embodying Versace's foundations and reflecting Vitale's new language", according to the programme.

- Chinese confidence collapse -

Other debuts include England's Louise Trotter, presenting her first catwalk show for Kering brand Bottega Veneta, and Italian Simone Bellotti for Jil Sander.

They are part of an industry-wide shake-up, including at Dior and Chanel, at a time when luxury brands are still struggling with slowing demand in China and global economic uncertainty.

Luca Solca, a luxury sector analyst at Bernstein, said there were small signs of an improvement in Chinese confidence, with an uptick in in-store traffic over the summer.

But he noted that "with prices going up, you need to give at least something new to consumers".

"I think that this unprecedented amount of change in creative responsibilities is responding to this imperative," he told AFP.

B.Johnson--SFF