Milano Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2025 delighted audiences with bold collections from legendary designers, including Bottega Veneta and Gucci.
Milano Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2025
Bottega Veneta
Bottega Veneta delivered one of the most striking shows at Milan Fashion Week by replacing traditional seating arrangements with leather poufs shaped like animals, including cats, rabbits, chickens, and ladybugs. This collection of poufs, titled The Ark, was designed by Bottega Veneta’s creative director Matthieu Blazy, drawing inspiration from Noah’s Ark. Blazy’s aim was to create a playful atmosphere for the runway, evoking the feel of furniture that makes a child feel at home in their bedroom.
Blazy shares his thoughts on the collection’s childhood theme: “As children, everyday life feels like an adventure, with the sense that anything can happen and even the most fantastic things are possible. We are not confined by traditions or expectations; instead, the doors are open to strange realities and captivating wonders. This is about the power of sincerity over strategy.”
The collection featured standout pieces, including leather-sequined evening gowns, grunge-style flannel shirts, bags resembling shopping totes, and jacquard-woven tropical merino wool items.
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Ferragamo
Maximilian Davis presented his latest collection for Ferragamo on a circular runway surrounded by white carpets and tonal curtains. In the Spring-Summer 2025 collection, Davis celebrated elegance by forging a deep connection with Ferragamo’s history in ballet. He discovered new harmonies between his personal story and the brand’s rich heritage.
The collection also carries the vibrant energy of the Caribbean, with distressed and stone-washed denim, organic shapes, and rubber moccasins standing out on the runway. Rough textures create a contrast with the clean lines of the collection, while elevated hemlines evoke a sense of romance.
Dolce & Gabbana
Madonna’s appearance at the Dolce & Gabbana show, wearing a black lace veil, created a buzz in both global media and on social platforms. The runway featured models in lace-up and pointed corsets, referencing the ‘Blonde Ambition’ era of the 1990s, drawing significant attention.
Models wearing curly blonde wigs showcased designs reminiscent of the costumes Madonna wore during her The Girlie Show tour in 1992. The sensual and provocative collection received high praise, featuring corsets, lace dresses, and trench coats.
Gucci
Gucci’s new creative director, Sabato De Sarno, described the Spring-Summer 2025 collection, titled Casual Grandeur, as “a tribute to a specific moment in time, one that must be seized and fully lived.” He explained: “It’s like the moment at the end of August when the sun sets into the sea, and we find ourselves. It’s an invitation to pause and search for your own moment.”
The show, held at Triennale Milano, featured a semi-circular runway beginning with shades of yellow and orange, reflecting the colors of a setting sun. As the journey progressed through different rooms, the palette deepened, concluding with a rich Ancora red.
The collection, which merged 60s silhouettes with a modern twist, prominently featured leather and delicate lace. Standout pieces included sleeveless dresses adorned with mirrored sequins, A-line skirts, and sheer lace gowns. This collection provided an unforgettable journey by blending the classic elegance of the past with the comfort of contemporary fashion.
Roberto Cavalli
Fausto Puglisi draws inspiration for his Views from Zancle collection from his hometown of Zancle. Presented at the Greek theater in Syracuse during sunset, the collection transforms into a performance, reflecting the colors, scents, and spirit of Messina in an operatic crescendo. Elements such as graffiti textures from local homes, ropes and chains from fishermen turned into garments and jewelry, and swordfish motifs embedded in earrings and bags evoke Puglisi’s deep connection to his roots in every piece.
In the first runway show held after Roberto Cavalli’s passing, Fausto Puglisi paid tribute to the legendary designer by bringing seven iconic pieces from the archives back to the runway. These included three asymmetrical zebra-patterned evening gowns from the Fall/Winter 2000 collection, a black leather and chiffon mermaid gown from Fall/Winter 2003, and three feathered evening dresses from the Fall/Winter 2004 collection.
The biggest surprise of the show was the return of iconic supermodels from the 90s and 2000s, such as Claudia Schiffer and Eva Herzigova, gracing the runway once again in the legendary dresses they had worn years ago. This grand comeback added a nostalgic energy to the event, reminding attendees of the brand’s extravagant and opulent style.
Fendi
As the Italian fashion house prepares for its centennial celebrations in 2025, artistic director Kim Jones transported guests back to 1925, the year Fendi first opened as a small boutique in Rome. Kim Jones, the Creative Director for Couture and Women’s Wear, emphasized that “The foundations of how women dress today, and in many ways how we think, were laid in the 1920s.”
“This is about modernity in both style and attitude,” Jones explains. He notes that 1925 was not only the year Fendi was founded but also the year of the Art Deco exhibition in Paris that inspired the brand’s name. That same year saw the publication of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. “We approached the collection by keeping these milestones in mind, blending the moods and techniques of the past and the future,” Jones adds.
Silk tea dresses and dancer slips stood out among the key pieces on the runway. Typical 1920s silhouettes and motifs were reinterpreted with modern touches. Sheer, low-waisted dresses, fringed flapper gowns, and knitted tracksuits paired with men’s shorts blended the Art Deco splendor of the 1920s with the sophistication of 2025. The collection also paid homage to Fendi’s heritage and the powerful women who have worn it. As stated in the show notes: “As a house born from a matriarchal lineage, Fendi has always been aware not only of women who exist but also of those who make things happen.”
