September wouldn’t be the same without its big fashion events, with Milan Fashion Week Women the foremost in Italy. On September 3, Carlo Capasa, president of the Italian Fashion Chamber (CNMI), presented the programme for the forthcoming womenswear week, at a press conference held in the Alessi hall at Palazzo Marino, home to the city of Milan’s mayoral offices, further proof of the strong links between Milan and the fashion industry.

 
“The first big news is that this season the fashion week will last a day longer. It will start on Tuesday [September] 17 and close on Monday 23. We’re slotted in between the London and Paris fashion weeks, and managing to gain one extra day was far from easy,” said Capasa. “There are 173 events on the programme: 57 in-person shows and eight digital ones, 69 presentations, six invitation-only presentations, and 33 related events, plus the whole plethora of non-calendar initiatives planned throughout the city,” he added.  
 
Fendi will kick off the runway show programme at 3 pm CET on September 17, and Chiccomao will bring it to a close in Piazza Duomo at 5 pm on September 22. Monday September 23 will be the day of the eight digital shows, by Maxivive, Husky, Defaience by Nicola Bacchilega, Chiara Boni La Petite Robe, ViaPiave33, Re Shui, Francesco Murano and Jacob Cohen. This season’s main absentee is Armani, which will show in New York, but Capasa said that the label “always has a strong connection with Milan Fashion Week. It will feature with two shows by Emporio Armani, and will be back in February.”

Among the Milanese runway rookies, Susan Fang, backed by Dolce & Gabbana; Federico Cina, backed by the Camera Moda Fashion Trust; Chiccomao; and Phan Dang Hoang, which previously featured on the digital show calendar. Back on the runway show programme are The Attico and Laura Biagiotti, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its first show on the Milan Fashion Week calendar.
 
“Besides Laura Biagiotti’s, there are other anniversaries of note: Iceberg will fête 50 years in business with a co-ed show followed by a party paying tribute to the highlights of its five decades’ history, while Redemption will celebrate its 10th anniversary. It will also be Vogue Italia’s 60th birthday, celebrated with the exhibition entitled ‘Sixty Years of Vogue Italia – Sessant’anni di Futuro’ held at Palazzo Citterio in Milano on September 19-21. It will be a unique exhibition illustrating pivotal moments in fashion and society via 60 Vogue Italia covers and original content,” said Capasa.
 

Several labels will debut on the presentation programme: 1989 Studio, Bruceglen, Casa Preti, Crida Milano, Cuantico, Di Stavnitser, Eileen, Enterprise Japan, Gio Giovanni Gerosa, L Saha, Maccapani, Max & Co. with Lorenzo Posocco, MSGM, Retori, Sirivannavari, Taller Marmi, Testori, Tom Ford, Weekend Max Mara by Ashley Park, and Zona20.
 
Milan Fashion Week will again be shining a spotlight on emerging names, staging various support initiatives for them. The event’s Fashion Hub, at Palazzo Giureconsulti, will zero in notably on Korea and China. Among other features, it will present ‘Designers for the Planet’, a showcase for emerging designers focused on sustainability, and ‘Resonance: Voices of Seoul’, with a selection of young Korean creatives. The 10th edition of Milano Moda Graduate, a project dedicated to the students of Italy’s premier fashion academies, is scheduled at 8 pm CET on September 17 at the Cariatidi hall, within Milan’s Royal Palace.
 
Another project that will be presented at the Fashion Hub is ‘Regione Puglia Land of Fashion’, emphasising the strong connection between the industry and the Apulia region of Italy. Not just as a venue for events and shows by leading labels, but also as a manufacturing centre and artisanal heritage site, home to over 5,000 producers employing 40,000 people.
 
In parallel with the fashion week, Milan will host several initiatives featuring creative talent from all around the world. The second edition of the Black Carpet Awards will be held at the Teatro Manzoni on September 20. The event is organised by Afro Fashion Association to celebrate the industry’s ‘Leaders of Change’ who promote diversity and inclusion. On Saturday September 21, Peruvian brand J. Salinas will present a collection developed in collaboration with weavers’ associations from the Andes region. The Fashion Hub will host a collective presentation by the winners of the Latin American Fashion Awards 2023, and on September 18, the Chinese district of Keqiao will sponsor a show by four emerging Chinese labels. At 7 pm CET on September 19, the Hungarian Fashion Design Agency’s Budapest Select showroom will stage an event featuring several Hungarian labels, with the backing of CNMI.
 
Last but not least, the CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards 2024, scheduled on September 22. The event is organised by CNMI in collaboration with the United Nations’ Ethical Fashion Initiative, supported by the city of Milan. The award ceremony will be held at the Teatro alla Scala opera house. Among the prizes, the Bicester Collection Award for Emerging Designers, and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Award for Circular Economy.
 
Milan Fashion Week will be promoted by a poster campaign deployed throughout the city from September 7 to 22. As always, its images portray some of Milan’s most iconic locations. This year, the choice fell on the Accademia di Belli Arti di Brera, the city’s fine arts academy. The campaign was lensed by photographer Alice Rosati, with styling by Marzia Fossati. The labels involved are Francesco Murano, Lorenzo Seghezzi and Andreadamo, beneficiaries of the Camera Moda Fashion Trust Grant 2024; Marco Rambaldi and Defaience by Nicola Bacchilega, both featured on the show calendar; and Oh Carla, from the ‘Designers for the Planet’ project.
 
“With each edition of Milan Fashion Week, the connection between our city and the world of fashion – a sector that generates 5 % of Italy’s GDP – is strengthened with renewed enthusiasm,” said Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala. “Youth and sustainability are the industry’s main development drivers, and Milan is the right place for both to thrive. Fashion’s supply chain is extremely complex, and the sector can do much for sustainability, becoming an example of good practices. Milan is, and is keen to remain, a city where those who want to work in fashion have the chance to demonstrate their abilities and end-product,” added Sala.
 
“Years ago, young people didn’t use to study fashion in Italy, they went abroad, primarily to the UK. Over time, our academies have invested in improving their quality, and now we have truly excellent schools. Leading labels are doing a lot to support emerging names and SMEs. Also because fashion is Italy’s most extensive cooperative network, and needs to continue to remain so,” concluded Capasa.