Top e flop della Milan Fashion Week SS21

This season in Milan, Fashion Week was once again one of a kind in the way things were structured in the face of the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The unique circumstances made it difficult for all designers to produce a collection in the era of social distancing, a fact that even Miuccia admitted in her post show talk with co-creative director Raf Simons. Things weren’t entirely digital as they were last season , nor were they completely back to normal with physical shows. Brands found themselves in a strange limbo between hosting digital shows, presentations and socially distanced fashion shows. The results of which ranged from those who handled the challenge with ease and presented marvellous collections and riveting productions regardless of their restrictions, to those who were upstaged and either went unnoticed for not doing enough , or were noted for doing it badly. Here’s a roundup of the top and flops of Milan Fashion Week SS21

TOP

Prada SS21 – The Show of the Season

First on the list is of course Prada, the show that many have been waiting for , Miuccia Prada’s first collection in collaboration with Raf Simons. The fashion house first intended for this occasion to be a physical show, but upon arising concerns canceled and decided to go digital instead. The collection itself was exactly what anyone would imagine when thinking of a collaboration between Raf Simons and Prada, there were evident elements of both designers in the design of the clothing and references to both of their archives. It felt like a collaborative effort,  it was almost like a painting , where one could see Miuccia elegantly stroke her brush, while Raf then came along and splashed his paint on. It was something different, although they kept it safe in terms of design, seeing that the collaboration is long term, and not a one time thing , we imagine it as a sort of orchestra —  one wouldn’t sing all their impressive notes in the beginning or there would be nothing left for the middle or end. All in all it was the beginning of something new and fresh for the Milanese brand , which they also symbolised by using an entire cast of girls who have never walked runway before, and freshly designed space. 

Fendi SS21 –  A Homemade Inclusive Casting

Silvia Venturini Fendi has been managing things as the current Creative Director since the passing of Karl Lagerfeld last year, and it was recently announced that she will soon be succeeded by Kim Jones who will take over as Creative Director of Fendi Women’s and Menswear in January. This means that this collection was Silvia’s final solo-designed collection, and it was surely a pleasant way for her to be stepping down. Here past few collections have been pleasant appealing in terms of design, quality and aesthetic and this was no different. She presented mens and women’s together with a casting that was probably one of the most diverse casts ever used at a show in Milan, not only in terms of race, but also in regards to age and body type. The collection itself was inspired by Fendi furniture , as she wanted to recreate the essence of feeling at home, (which explains the double-F logo pasta invitation). Although they were some pieces that could have used some editing , the collection in general was an interesting mix, the womenswear retained the classic Fendi essence , while the menswear ironically had some elements of design resembling Kim Jones’ treatment of Dior (although he had nothing to do with it). 

Valentino SS21 – Return to Milan in style

This year's closing show was valentino's that abandoned the opulence of the great Parisian venues usually employed for fashion shows and brought his collection to the Macchi Foundries in Milan, with a vegetable decoration set up by the artist Satoshi Kawamoto – a gesture of support to the Italian fashion community by Pierpaolo Piccioli as well as one of the most appreciated returns in Milan fashion week. Piccioli tried to redefine, rather than the aesthetics of the brand, its identity: a process he called "re-signification". The typical romanticism of Piccioli's designs, together with the sophistication of the show as a whole, and the simplicity of fluid clothes, almost at the limit of genderless in some cases, caused fashion week to close on a high note. 

Marni SS21 – 48 Different Perspectives

Creative Director Francesco Riso is very much  somewhat of a creative genius. This season for Marni he asked 48 people from all across the world to be filmed by their loved ones in their local habitats. This resulted in a moving film compiled of all these videos presented live on the brand’s site. It began with live-streams of these people doing whatever they wanted for an hour and then moved into the filmed which managed to be quite an emotional piece of artwork in the way it was conceived and constructed. We got to see pieces of Marni’s new collection against the backdrops of New York, Milan, Paris , Tokyo and other cities all together which is an opportunity that not many other creative directors would be able to pull off. The fashion was also classic Marni with deconstructed , reconstructed pieces and bright colour palettes.  Although it was a collection of cohesive pieces , each look seemingly told a different story based on the context of the city it was in, and the person it was on, which gave the collection a lot of character and life. 

Act No. 1 – Multiculturalism in a box

One of the younger brands to pull off quite an interesting digital presentation was Act No.1 . The Milan based brand presented a video that was shot and curated around the concept of a glass box as a representation of multiculturalism, with the idea of showcasing different sides of people, from the inside looking out. The collection itself was sharp and included interesting tailor, but could have also used some editing , but the concept and performance was riveting. It featured a lineup of different performances, from drag queens, to dancers, and violinists. Although Act NO.1 is in no way new to the Milan Fashion Week calendar, this season, the brand surely made themselves heard with this digital presentation. 

We Are Made In Italy -  Milan’s Official introduction to Diversity 

For the first time this season, Camera della Moda collaborated with the only prominent Afro-Italian designer Stella Jean and American Milan based designer Edward Buchanan, to help highlight the work of 5 up and coming black Italian based designers . This was showcased in a video presentation entitled We Are Made In Italy which was monumental in terms of representation in the Italian fashion industry. Although we didn’t get the chance to witness entire collections from each designer, it was a very effective beginning in the journey of recognising and training minority talents within the local industry. 

FLOP

Dolce & Gabbana SS21 –  Another colourful collection

Once again, Dolce & Gabbana has made the flop list , as they presented a collection that looks identical as all their previous collections. Inspired by the idea of Sicilian patchwork, the duo presented a collection that was colourful,  full of patches and patterns to the point of nausea. They managed to do this in a way that it also seemed very much similar to all of their past collections. At this point, there is not much we or any one else expect from D&G, but it is interesting to see the chaos they create each season. 

Moschino SS21 –  Accusations of plagiarism 

For this season, Jeremy Scott presented his brand's SS21 collection with a video populated with puppets that reproduced the features of models and audiences, including well-known faces such as those of Anna Wintour and Anna Dello Russo. Although production and presentation were satisfactory, the show remained a flop. Firstly because the collection actually seemed better suited to puppets than to real models with sartorial details and styling that didn't work; secondly for the plagiarism allegations leveled against Scott by the artist Kid Super. The young artist accused Scott of using the identical concept he used for Paris Fashion Week two months ago – accusations to which the Moschino designer did not even bother to answer. Even his comments about it on social media were deleted by Moschino. Among other things, this isn't even the first time Jeremy Scott has been accused of plagiarism, which makes Kid Super's allegations even more credible.

Street style - A notable gap 

Although there were a few physical shows , one of the things that was evidently missing was the seasonal streetstyle. There were a few shows with audience members who were in normal fashion week attire, but for the most part a lot of guests were either missing or wearing looks that were understandably relaxed. September being the biggest fashion season of the year, it was sad to see the scarcity of people and fashion witnessed in street style.