Milan Fashion Week: Fame for Fendi, setbacks for Gucci

Milan Fashion Week continued on Thursday against a backdrop of reshuffling in the creative direction of prestigious fashion houses. Among them, Fendi, which captivated audiences with an anniversary show paying tribute to its roots, and Gucci, which is still in the midst of a crisis.

And the shake-ups in the fashion world continue: On Wednesday, Jil Sander announced the departure of creative directors Lucie and Luke Meier. Wednesday morning’s show was thus the last for the pair after eight years at the design helm of the German brand, which belongs to Renzo Rosso’s Italian OTB Group.

Jil Sander, HW25. *Image: ©Launchmetrics/spotlight*

Wednesday, the second day of fashion week, was also marked by another significant event that created a buzz behind the scenes: the anniversary show celebrating Fendi’s 100th anniversary, and the first runway show since Kim Jones’ departure in October.

Rumours are swirling about who will succeed him, but in the meantime, the house can rely on Silvia Venturini Fendi to take the interim lead: The granddaughter of founders Edoardo Fendi and Adele Casagrande Fendi, who normally oversees the creative direction of the menswear collections and women’s accessories, presented a collection that celebrated the essence of the Roman fashion house.

Telling the story of Fendi and its DNA was at the heart of this project, which showcased nearly 90 looks. “I didn’t want to spend too much time digging through the physical archives. For me, Fendi 100 is more about my personal memories – real or imagined – of what Fendi was and what Fendi means today,” explained the designer.

Silvia Venturini Fendi highlighted the work of the ateliers in fur and leather creations: ribbed deerskin and reversible suede coats, shimmering Op Art coats embellished not with a print, but with soft geometric intarsia. Trompe-l’œil for lambskin pieces that looked like mink or fox, leather patchwork, quilted satin.

Fendi HW25. *Image: ©Launchmetrics/spotlight*

Throughout the collection, a crescendo of colours evoked the nuances of Rome at dusk – laurel green and forest green, graphite, chocolate, and petrol blue – culminating in the vibrant tones of its eternal sunsets in cinnamon and terracotta, bubblegum pink, scarlet, and powder pink, earning the fashion house a standing ovation.

The calm before the storm

At Gucci, without Sabato de Sarno, whose creative direction lasted two years before he was dismissed in early February, a runway show was staged that was clearly more inspired by the brand’s heritage than by de Sarno’s signature. Colours, the double-G logo, references to the history with looks from the ’70s and ’90s, and leatherwork, as the fashion house loves it.

Gucci HW25. *Image: ©Launchmetrics/spotlight.*

The atmosphere was naturally particular, with all the teams greeting the audience at the end of the show. The Roman fashion house has been in serious trouble for years: its owner, the French luxury group Kering, saw its profits plummet in 2024, driven by the 23 percent drop in sales of its flagship brand.

And with the arrival of de Sarno, just under a year and a half ago, more than 150 employees left Rome to follow him to Milan. Their future is now uncertain.

“The management had promised 12 months of support, but after this period, in a city like Milan, where life is 30 to 40 percent more expensive than in Rome, without structural salary increases, many were forced to resign,” laments Anita Ferri, union representative of Filctem Cgil, at Gucci.

“Even now, there is great fear, because all new creative directors usually bring their teams with them, and so the reshuffling has repercussions at other levels. We believe this is the calm before the storm.”

In the case of Bottega Veneta, the departure of Matthieu Blazy to Chanel was immediately followed by the announcement of Louise Trotter’s arrival. The Venetian house has therefore opted for a different strategy: not to present on the runway this season to allow time for the handover. Trotter will present her first collection in September 2025.This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR. It was translated to English using AI.

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