Milan Fashion Week to Pay Digital Tribute to Beppe Modenese - WWD

MILAN — Milan Fashion Week, running from Feb. 24 to March 1, will kick off with a tribute to Beppe Modenese, the late honorary chairman of the Italian Fashion Chamber, who died at age 92 on Nov. 21. A short movie, filmed by Beniamino Barrese, will be streamed on the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana’s digital platform the first day of fashion week at 10 a.m.

Modenese, dubbed by WWD’s legendary publisher John B. Fairchild in 1983 as “the Prime Minister of Fashion,” was a key figure in Italy’s fashion industry for decades, contributing to the creation of the Italian fashion chamber itself.

The upcoming fashion week, which will mainly take place digitally, will include 61 runway shows and 57 presentations. According to the fashion association’s president Carlo Capasa, “clear guidelines to prevent COVID-19 infections have been released and we stated, in collaboration with health authorities, that shows and events will have to be hosted without the public, except for a limited number of professionals, including journalists and buyers, in accordance with the capacity limits of each location.”

However, it seems that the majority of runway shows will be filmed behind closed doors, including Prada, which will showcase the second women’s collection designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons on Feb. 25, and Giorgio Armani, scheduled on Feb. 27. Reached on Thursday, Valentino said whether there will be guests at its runway show on March 1 is still to be determined.

Kim Jones will present his women's ready-to-wear debuting collection for Fendi on Feb.24.

Kim Jones will present his women’s ready-to-wear debut collection for Fendi on Feb. 24. Courtesy of Fendi

While the Milan Fashion Week schedule this season will lack the runways shows of key players — including Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Versace, since the house of the Medusa will unveil its fall 2021 coed collection with a video on March 5 — Brunello Cucinelli will stage a livestreaming from his headquarters in Solomeo on Feb. 24 to present his latest women’s lineup.

In addition, women’s creative director Kim Jones will unveil his first ready-to-wear collection for Fendi on Feb. 24 and Fausto Puglisi will show his debut lineup for Roberto Cavalli with private appointments.

Among the newcomers to Milan Fashion Week, former Gucci VIP designer Daniel Del Core will make his runway debut with his namesake brand on Feb. 24. Nervi, the cocktail and eveningwear label established by Valentina Nervi, also appears for the first time on the fashion week’s official schedule with a presentation on Feb. 25.

On Feb. 24, the digital fashion week will also include the second installment of the “We Are Made in Italy — The Fab Five Bridge Builders” project aimed at promoting inclusivity within the Italian fashion system. Five Italian Black designers selected by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana’s Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion work group, led by designers Stella Jean and Edward Buchanan, will present their collections, produced with the support of a range of Italian manufacturers, during a digital event.

“I am pleased to see that, in my country, extremely needed changes are just happening, with no hesitation,” Jean said. “Taking these young designers by the hand, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana will become a sort of prototype for a new multicultural Italy. The Italian companies that collaborated with us have taken the significant decision to open the doors of their ateliers, as well as their archives. They are teaching these young talents important techniques; they have taken decisive steps for the amplification of these underrepresented voices in the country and they are passing on the Made in Italy baton. Made in Italy is much more than a label, it holds a legacy — one that, today, proves itself through actions to identify not just stylistic excellence, but human excellence as well.”

Stella Jean is among the promoters of the “We Are Made in Italy — The Fab Five Bridge Builders” project supporting five Italian Black emerging designers. Courtesy of Stella Jean

In addition, Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion will take part on Feb. 26 in a think tank with representatives of leading Italian brands to discuss the implementation of inclusive practices within their companies.

Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana also teamed up again with Italian department store Rinascente to support 11 Italian emerging brands, including footwear label Giannico, women’s wear label Sara Battaglia and activewear brand Fantabody, which will have the chance to sell their creations in a dedicated pop-up shop, open from Feb. 22 to March 12, at Rinascente’s flagship in Milan’s Piazza Duomo.

The different digital content available on the Milan Fashion Week digital platform will also include a video created by Florentine fashion school Polimoda in collaboration with 20 young fashion designers, while a room curated by Vogue Italia deputy editor Sara Sozzani Maino in collaboration with Confartigianato, which this week signed a strategic partnership with the Italian fashion chamber, will highlight the craftsmanship of five Italian artisans.

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