“The mood is curiosity this season,” says Dover Street Market Paris buying director Nick Tran, speaking of what to expect from Milan Fashion Week (MFW) Fall/Winter 2026. He goes on to ask the questions on everybody’s lips: “What will Demna bring to Gucci? What about Meryll Rogge for Marni? And Maria Grazia Chiuri at Fendi? And what will Simone Bellotti for Jil Sander and Louise Trotter for Bottega Veneta showcase in their sophomore collections?”
All will be revealed over the next seven days. But it’s clear that if last season marked a major reckoning for Paris Fashion Week, with scores of designer debuts at big luxury houses, this season, Milan is at a creative crossroads. New creative directors at Gucci, Fendi, and Marni will hit the runway for the first time, the Armani brand is in the midst of finding a new rhythm, and several of the city’s newer designers are due to cement their visions with a second or third show.
Add a bubbling undercurrent of fresh talent, an influx of new labels activating across the week, and the halo effect of the Winter Olympics, which concluded on February 22, and there’s a lot to consider at MFW FW26, running from February 24 to March 1. The week will feature 52 physical runway shows and 89 presentations, including Prada (“always a highlight”, Tran says), Diesel, Ferragamo, Missoni, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro, and Max Mara, alongside the aforementioned.
Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) president Carlo Capasa expects a mood of “pragmatic energy” for FW26, in response to the tumultuous retail backdrop. The Saks Global bankruptcy, the latest in a string of retailer woes, is looming large, and luxury conglomerates Kering, LVMH, and OTB, which respectively own Gucci, Fendi, and Marni, all faced a decline in growth in fiscal 2025. With the next round of debuts and sophomore shows, their houses need solid creative foundations to further recover from the luxury slowdown.
“On one hand [this season] there will be the desire for creative momentum [because debuts raise the bar]. On the other hand, there is a very concrete awareness of the economic moment,” Capasa says. “The retail landscape is clearly undergoing a significant transformation, and multi-brand stores are facing particular pressure. This is a structural shift that cannot be ignored.”
Major debuts
Chiuri will make her runway debut as Fendi chief creative officer on Wednesday afternoon. It’s a homecoming of sorts: the Roman designer previously worked across accessories at Fendi from 1988 to 1999 (including co-designing the iconic Fendi Baguette). And now, she is returning after a commercially successful nine-year turn at Dior. “I’m really curious to see Maria Grazia at Fendi,” says Vogue’s Tiziana Cardini. “That’s my big curiosity.”
On Thursday, Belgian rising star Meryll Rogge — winner of the 2025 Andam Prize — will make her Marni debut, after being appointed at the house last July. Stefano Rosso, Marni CEO and scion of the brand’s parent group OTB, is pleased with the timing of the show, given the season is less saturated with major debuts, he said during the Vogue Business Global Summit: Middle East in November.
Then, it’s the big one. On Friday afternoon, Kering’s biggest brand, Gucci, will officially enter its next creative era, as Demna puts on his first runway show for the house. He has already released two collections: La Famiglia, revealed via a film screening during MFW SS26, and Generation Gucci, a lookbook of archive-inspired pre-fall pieces. But Gucci maintains that Friday’s runway moment is the official reveal of Demna’s vision for the Italian house, followed by a major party and a secret music performance.
