Milan resists easy definition

Writer Charlie Porter notes Milan is packed with contradictions that resist simple categorization. The city doesn't want you to know what it is.

“Milan is a city that doesn't want you to know what it is.”

Demna stages Gucci as a store

For his third Gucci show, creative director Demna transformed the venue into the ultimate Gucci store, filling it with celebrities like Keke Palmer and Jannik Sinner alongside fashion insiders.

Gucci responds to financial pressure

Parent company Kering has faced ongoing financial decline and sales slumps at Gucci. The brand's new direction seems designed to address these challenges.

Demna embraces all Gucci wearers

Rather than pretending Gucci only sells to the most tasteful, Demna presented the brand as serving bratty aristocrats, new money, and outlet shoppers alike.

“Gucci moves easily between aristocracy and pop culture.”

The show cast grounded the vision

Demna assembled supermodels like Alex Consani and Anok Yai, socialites including Poppy Delevingne, and influencer Tina Leung. The diverse cast exemplified his pop cultural prowess.

Tina Leung's Gucci journey spans decades

Influencer Tina Leung wore a Gucci suit to her Hong Kong high school graduation and has been a Gucci girl for over a decade, attending shows since Alessandro Michele's 2016 arrival.

“Demna's Gucci is so fucking cunty. I find it a reflection of our times.”

Moschino takes a different approach

New creative directors Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo cast hundreds of Milanese people in their own clothing, walking through the collection models in a literal street scene.

The cast represented genuine community

Photographer Giacomo Cabrini and writer Elisa Carassai, both part of Messina and Rizzo's creative circle, walked the show. The cast included people of different ages and styles from around the world.

“They have a really genuine and authentic community.”

Moschino proves Milan has no single style

The show demonstrated that Milanese style is layered and complex, with no one specific aesthetic. The diverse cast proved Milan's uniqueness lies in its contradictions.

“It proved the point that there is no such thing as one specific Milanese style.”

Gucci creates distance, Moschino invites participation

At Gucci, the imitation world remains aspirational and distant. At Moschino, you see runway pieces in their natural habitat, making the collection feel accessible and real.

Milan differs from Paris and New York

Unlike Paris and New York, which are exhibitionists, Milan resists a single definition. What it looks like depends on which street or runway you're walking down.