The women’s SS25 shows brought Shailene Woodley, David Beckham and Ed Westwick to the Italian city. Some of the creative directors and founders of brands spoke exclusively with The Hollywood Reporter about the inspirations behind their collections.

Brunello Cucinelli combines the Riviera with desert dunes

Standing in the back of the presentation space was Brunello Cucinelli himself, welcoming guests as they arrived. Ever humble and approachable, the Umbrian designer spoke to THR about his new collection, which exudes verve and joie de vivre of a Mediterranean coastline with the quietness of the desert. “The inspiration is going back to living within measure, which means finding a balance within the spiritual human points of view. That was the starting point, and then along the journey we express going to the beach and traveling with extremely lightweight fabrics,” Cucinelli explained. “Everything entails high-level craftsmanship, but we like the manual skills. There is a tinge of color, but it’s mainly gray-ish and beige, which epitomizes our taste.” The House has caught the attention of Hollywood, with stars from Jeremy Allen White, Jennifer Lopez, Colman Domingo and Ashley Park being wearers of the brand. The new collection is minimal yet exotic, timeless and ethereal. Known for their knitwear, Cucinelli and his team were able to bring the craquelé-effect to the embroidery with yarn that is gives 3D patterns life. Quite simply, this collection is what you want to wear on your next vacation.

The Latin American Fashion Awards shows Europe how it’s done

The Latin American Fashion Awards came to Milan, sharing with the Italian market their prestigious awards show that premiered in November 2023 in the Dominican Republic, where J. Balvin won Icon of the Year. Founders and Latin American fashion legends Constanza Etro and Silvia Argüello were in Milan with the support of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana to express how Latin America has been producing top-rate designers. “This project is not only about Latin America, but about Latin American talent in the world who are revolutionizing and making a fashion impact in the fashion industry as a whole. The best photographers, stylists and artisans are Latin American. It was about time that we put the spotlight on Latin American creatives around the world changing the fashion industry,” said Argüello.

Desserto founders and award winners Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez from Mexico shared how they take cactus and create leather-replaced products for brands from Michael Kors to Apple, as well as Adidas’ boxing gloves for the 2024 Paris summer Olympic games. Verdi winner Tomás Vera shared how his Colombian textile studio in the home, fashion and art space takes metal fibers to create handbags and rugs. “This was a way to show off our brand and our work, to put it onto people’s shoulders. It was a marketing stunt that became 25 percent of our sales,” he said. On Thursday night, they held a party across from the Milan Duomo with a large turnout that included Boss senior vp creative direction Marco Falcioni as well as David Koma and Arianna Casadei. The next Latin American Fashion Awards will take place in 2025.

L’Saha shows in Milan for the first time with an Earth-friendly collection

The London-based brand, which has dressed British actress Mecia Simson (The Witcher) and Tamara Rojo, chose not to unveil in the British capital but rather in Milano from the Weston Palace Milan hotel. A serious eco-conscious brand, the collection focuses on the element of Earth and the characteristics of mankind — specifically how humans evolve into conscious and instinctive beings, who are guardians of the planet Earth. To tell this story, creative director Laboni Saha created 100 percent handwoven dresses made at their London atelier using natural, low-impact fabrics. “This collection is our call to return to the time when our minds were free from the outside worlds’ wider agenda,” says Saha in collection notes. “To return to the roots of what truly matters to us and let our choices (in fashion and otherwise) be guided by that. When we live our lives with authenticity, the world we live in becomes an ‘authentic’ one.” Each piece has been made to have little impact on the environment throughout its entire lifecycle.

Fendi is all about the strong woman

Doing what Fendi does best, the Italian house held its show in an all-white space at Superstudio Max on the opening day of the fashion week. Sitting front row was actress Shailene Woodley, carrying the brand’s newest version of its iconic Peekaboo Soft bag. Opening the show in Red Wing boots was Anok Yai, who like all the models in the show represents the collection’s theme well of “Dal 1925.” “1925 has so many milestone moments — it is the founding year of Fendi,” writes Kim Jones, artistic director of couture and womenswear, in collection notes. For Jones, it was important to emphasize the fact that Fendi is a brand passed down through the matriarchal line and it’s a brand for women that do, not just a brand that commends a woman for being a woman. Telling this sartorial story are looks done in an unstructured way; embroidery is handmade and detailed, shearling and suede are put in robe shapes, while silk tea dresses are cut in a unique way and match with boots giving a masculine touch. And the Mamma Baguette bag, inspired by Silvia Venturini, who founded the House, her grandmother Adele Fendi. “Quality is the No. 1 point besides the beauty of design. I’m always thinking about the connection between fashion and time — I think quality is the defining feature. It was also my grandmother Adele’s obsession: quality,” says Silvia in collection notes.

Redemption, the brand, celebrates 10 years

“This show is special because it’s a celebration of the last 10 years. The reason why we wanted to do a show with our greatest hits together with the new collection is not to be self-celebratory, but to pay homage and thanks to everybody that followed us from the beginning,” said Gabriele Moratti backstage after the show. The collection was unveiled in two parts: a show of the Redemption classics, with the second part focused on new themes. The collection ties in Moratti’s view that rock ‘n’ roll is an attitude of all things energetic, rebellious and a free spirit — perhaps that’s why actresses like Constance Wu have taken a liking to the brand. Staying with a color palette of white, pink, silver, black, gold and hints of red mixed in to blazers, blouses, pants and draped dresses, looks were every bit of the rock ‘n’ roll boldness that Moratti is going for, yet were sensually elegant at the same time.

Boss reminds us of the importance of relaxing

David Beckham, Michele Marrone and Emily in Paris’ Paul Forman were front-row fixtures at the “Out of Office”-themed Boss runway show on Wednesday. Well-known models Anok Yai and Alton Mason, who played Little Richard in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, walked in the show. Held in a wild garden ambience, in the middle of the Palazzo del Senato courtyard with relaxed looks, was the vision of Marco Falcioni, senior vp creative direction at the House. It was an intentional pushback against the hustle and bustle of what cities like Milan offer, to what can be: calm and relaxation.

“We’ve stepped away from traditional double-breasted power suits, whose sharp cuts define the silhouette and are perceived as an inflexible shield around the wearer. This season, the hero piece is the understated three-button suit in lighter fabrics, gently wrapping the body without the constructs of shoulder-pads and constrictive internal structures. This is a reset: A real Boss is empowered and self-confident; they know when to log off and claim back their time and go out and relax, free from the hierarchy of rules and regulations,” he says in collection notes. Off-the-clock decompression with drawstrings, inspiration taken from sleepwear and trench coats that offer freedom to the wearer was the idea. Strict tailoring was out, while relaxed silhouettes was in.

Maccapani shows us knits can be worn in evening wear

The brand and its SS25 collection, themed “Maccapani’s Way in Micro-Scale,” draws upon the heritage of founder Margherita Maccapani Missoni and what her grandparents created in 1952 with their brand Missoni through knit. In this collection, Margherita uses utopian knits to tell Alpine fairytale stories. This is where the Little Fuchsia Riding Hood looks comes into place, or the Princess Corset, the Belt-Shawl and Medieval Puff-Sleeve Jackets. Everything is done in jersey or knitwear, from the dresses to the pantsuits. Looks are sensually daring, young and feminine. To tell the collection’s postmodern creative women’s sartorial story, Maccapani held its presentation at Villa Macca where each room of the house, the living room, bedroom, garden and even bathroom told a story with models dispersed throughout the various rooms.

For Margherita the collection needed to flow easily from daytime to evening, which propelled her to start Maccapani in the first place. “I started this brand because in the history of fashion there have always been brands that have tried to make women’s lives easier. Chanel started cutting knitwear pants to make horseback riding easier, or my grandparents (Ottavio and Rosita Missoni who started Missoni) started cutting evening-wear in knit for the theater. In the 2000s we borrowed from women’s and sports, but it never really picked up in the women’s market. So, creating a brand that follows women’s lives using jersey is what was my inspiration,” she says.

LaDoubleJ is maximalist chic

There’s something special about LaDoubleJ. Its maximalist design style is for a certain kind of woman, but even for the minimalist there is something that she will find. Their SS25 presentation was a little different in that as guests walked through the main space, they entered a sound healing mediation. People were relaxed and calm under an ambience of fashion and sound therapy. Founded by JJ Martin, the brand has caught the attention of Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Ari Parker, and it has partnered with Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop. Martin has been open the last several years, with her social media following about her spiritual journey, which she has ushered into her brand. For the presentation, Martin flew in spiritual healers from around the world to lead sessions. In the collection are, of course, the heavy prints the brand is known for, but also new editions like the Marlene Dress. There are looks for the work week and the stunning Derby Cardigan. There are also looks for a casual evening, and a formal evening like the Wonder Dress.

The Wilde Private Member’s Club set to open in November

Coming to Milan in November is The Wilde, a private members club a stone’s throw from Montenapoleone that can be found in Villa del Platano. This new club comes as a kind of exclusive as Soho House has not yet touched down in Milan. Diversity is at the heart of what the club will be and will feature three restaurants with Japanese, Mediterranean and Latin American cuisine, while the lower level will include DJ sets by guest DJs. During MFW, though under construction, key guests stopped by to see what will become reality in November. Once home to Santo Versace (the brother of Donatella and Gianni), it was purchased in 2022 by the private equity firm Three Hills Capital Partners and will be headed by Gary Landesberg, who is the chairman and founder. Landesberg is the former Executive Chairman and shareholder of The Arts Club in London.

Elisabetta Franchi is all about contrasts

Themed “The Femme Paradox,” the Elisabetta Franchi runway show celebrated 10 years of 20 runway shows. Sitting front row were Ed Westwick and his actress wife, Amy Jackson, and French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld. The collection is very structured, tailored and a fit for the working woman who’s confident, determined, feminine and knows who she is. Franchi and her design team, according to the collection notes, “explores the energy of the contrast between black and white, and between strength and softness.” Yet there is something sensual and seductive about it. There’s a lot of contrasts going on in the collection: masculine fabrics are matched with tulle and silk organza, the use of the colors cocoa and curry pushes back against the black and white tones, and power suit jackets and masculine pants are matched with lace, bows and flowers. After the show, the brand held what may have been one of the best soirees of MFW at their showroom northeast of the city. Held both indoors and outdoors, it was full of friends of the House, with DJ Mëstiza bringing the beats.

Philipp Plein closes out MFW with bold prints and a performance by Fabulous at his new hotel

Phillip Plein is opening a new hotel, The Plein Hotel in Milano. The soft opening is already underway, with the official opening coming at the end of October. On Saturday, amid a crowd that seemed endless, friends and the fashion world gathered to see what the new SS25 collection would be about. The runway was set on the lower level of the hotel covering what will be Philipp’s restaurant/ nightclub, the courtyard and various entryways. The hotel will offer things that aren’t found in Milan, a beach club, three bespoke restaurants and every room as nearly a suite. OK — back to the collection. It’s eclectic. You’ll find streetwear to evening wear. Looks are done with the quintessential Philipp Plein bold monogram prints with denim that flows well into evening. With a mix of men’s and women’s looks, the concept revolves around going on a car trip in Cinque Terre to Montecarlo. The show closed with Plein leading the finale with rapper Fabulous.

Other brands showcasing during the week were Dsquared2, which displayed their men’s SS25 collection that premiered in June, and the Milanese luxury handbag brand Serapian showcased a presentation at Villa Mozart. Casadei revealed their new collection in a private presentation where CEO Arianna Casadei welcomed guests. Most notably, the Blade Heel has been taken down from 10cm to 8cm, and now it’s at 1.5cm with their Mini Blade. Olivia Wilde, Dakota Fanning and Aubrey Plaza have all been seen wearing the Casadei. “This collection is classic. It keeps in mind every woman’s need accordingly for modern times. We are still evolving season by season,” says Casadei.

And the cult favorite of Jennifer Aniston, Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna — Rene Caovilla — also held a presentation showing its spring summer line of looks: the Cleo sandals, the Cinderella, the Chandelier sandal and the Margot sandal. In 2023, The New York Times featured on an article on Caovilla having the most knocked-off shoe design, for its spiral and jeweled out sandals. But we know the best way to spot a real Caovilla shoe is to look for the sparkling silver bottoms.

Milan Fashion Week followed London Fashion Week, while Paris Fashion Week starts Monday.