MFW: How Prada, Gucci, BV vie for China’s attention

Milan Fashion Week had no shortage of spectacle this season, but its biggest statement came before most of the major runway shows had begun. Vogue World arrived in Milan for the first time, taking over the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with more than 360 models, performers and cultural figures. Previous editions had moved through New York, London, Paris and Los Angeles; choosing Milan brought the event into one of fashion’s most important manufacturing and luxury centres, at a moment when the industry is again debating the value of craftsmanship, creativity and human skill against AI and robots. Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s appearance at the opening gala showed fashion’s economic importance to the country. Across the city, Prada, Gucci, Fendi, Bottega Veneta and Marni were settling into new creative chapters, while celebrities generated a parallel show of their own on Chinese social media. For Spring/Summer 2027, color returned with conviction, from the pale yellows and lilacs at Bottega Veneta to the sharper combinations appearing elsewhere on the schedule. So did decoration, sensuality and the pleasure of dressing up. After seasons dominated by quiet luxury, practicality and commercial caution, designers appeared more willing to make clothes that demanded attention. That instinct carried particular resonance in China, where luxury spending remains under pressure but fashion-week conversation can still move at remarkable speed when the right product, celebrity or image lands. The week offered an unusually clear demonstration of how the runway now operates in the Chinese market. A collection might last 15 minutes in Milan, but its second life unfolds through Weibo livestreams, celebrity arrival clips, Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) reviews and short-form videos dissecting individual looks. Prada’s Weibo livestream recorded 43.77 million views, while Gucci reached 43.38 million and Fendi 18.96 million, as of this writing. At Marni, WeChat livestream unique visitors and views increased 3,000% from the previous season, according to data shared by the maison. Prada makes the skirt social-media currency Prada had the advantage of opening Milan Fashion Week for the first time, and Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons responded by narrowing rather than expanding their proposition. “The Skirt” took one of fashion’s most familiar garments and made it the parameter for all 63 looks. Velcro became a base for crystal embroidery, metal snap fasteners turned jewel-like and crinolines moved from underneath clothing to the surface. Industrial Re-Nylon and matt ciré were pleated, while cotton was treated to resemble leather and suede. The collection also marked a noticeable return to prettiness and the body. High slits, crystals, sequins, florals and exposed skin arrived at a moment when much of fashion has spent years prioritising oversized silhouettes, utility and comfort. Rather than abandoning Prada’s taste for contradiction, the decorative turn gave it another subject to interrogate: What happens when conventional femininity becomes strange again? In China, however, much of the initial conversation focused above the shoulders. Brand ambassador Yang Mi (杨幂)arrived with a dramatically cropped hairstyle, alongside actor Li Xian, immediately giving the show a recognizable social-media hook. Yang’s WeChat Index exceeded 88 million that day, up 162.44%, while searches around her short hair jumped 1,808.43% and Prada’s brand index rose 558.65%. The haircut was subsequently revealed to be a wig, generating another trending topic. Gucci wants luxury to be noticed again Demna’s Spring/Summer 2027 “Store Show” was staged inside a purpose-built Gucci boutique, presenting what the designer described as his complete personal vision for the house. After a year of studying the brand, his answer centered on the desire to belong to a more glamorous world and on luxury that actively wants to be noticed. “It feels like my first real show,” Demna remarked backstage following the debut of his Spring/Summer 2027 collection for Gucci. Gucci’s familiar codes — horsebit hardware, tailoring, jewellery, sensual dresses and assertive accessories — were deployed within a broader cast of characters rather than reduced to a single uniform. Bourgeois propriety rubbed against sexuality; polished surfaces met a certain looseness. Demna, whose previous work often turned fashion’s status machinery into its subject, seemed less interested in dismantling glamor than in enjoying it. Cardi B and a wide international cast joined Chinese stars Ni Ni, Tian Xiwei, Song Weilong, Zhang Linghe and Wen Qi, helping the show become one of Milan’s biggest Chinese digital events of the week. Gucci’s Weibo livestream attracted 43.38 million views. Fendi, Marni, Ferragamo: What comes next after the debut show? Elsewhere, Milan showed why the second or third collections can matter more than a debut. The industry’s recent game of creative-director musical chairs has slowed, leaving designers including Maria Grazia Chiuri at Fendi, Meryll Rogge at Marni and Maximilian Davis at Ferragamo with the less theatrical task of proving that their initial ideas can become sustainable brand languages. At Fendi, Chiuri put the body at the center, beginning with underwear and building outward through lace, embroidery, animal print, silk and contrasting weights. A mirrored set multiplied both models and spectators, making the audience part of the visual field. For those watching digitally, however, that dreamlike device created an interesting trade-off: the atmosphere registered immediately, while some of the collection’s finer details demanded the closer inspection of a re-see. Chinese stars Tang Yan, Tan Jianci and Meng Ziyi sat front row, while Fendi’s Weibo livestream accumulated 18.96 million views. The combination reflects the balancing act facing luxury brands during fashion week in China: produce an image strong enough to stop someone scrolling while giving fashion-focused consumers something worth examining once they do. Rogge’s second Marni collection continued the process of recalibrating a house long associated with eccentric color and offbeat proportions. Linings were exposed, surfaces opened and archival references from the 1960s through the 2000s were dismantled and recombined. The result retained Marni’s oddness while giving it a colder, more urban edge. Angelababy’s appearance — her first Milan Fashion Week outing and one amplified across Marni’s global channels — provided a powerful China-facing moment, but the 3,000% increase in the brand’s WeChat livestream metrics suggests the attention extended beyond a single front-row photograph. At Ferragamo, Maximilian Davis delivered one of his most assured collections yet, adding to a growing sense that his vision for the house is becoming more sophisticated and mature with each season. Looking to the 1940s and the changing wardrobes of women entering the workforce, Davis avoided literal nostalgia, extracting the period’s high waists, military pockets and rigorous tailoring and setting them against sheer rubber, close-fitting leather, draped silk and sequins. The tension between discipline and sensuality felt increasingly natural rather than imposed, while references to photographer Lee Miller and other women who took control of their own narratives gave the period research a contemporary edge. Davis has now had several seasons to work through Ferragamo’s enormous archive, and this collection suggested a designer increasingly comfortable with what to keep, what to strip away and where to introduce his own language. Global ambassador Huang Jingyu attended alongside actor and producer Ruby Lin, Korean actor Nana and Thai actor Faye Peraya, bringing another strong Asia-Pacific contingent to Milan. Bottega Veneta sheds some weight Louise Trotter took another route at Bottega Veneta: she made things lighter. Her third collection for the house moved from the weight of winter towards summer, gradually stripping away layers and allowing more air between clothes and body. Woven edges were left unfinished, fringe moved with the body and leather was treated with increasing lightness. Lace, crochet and openwork fabrics appeared as the collection progressed, while black, brown and cream gave way to lilac, pale yellow, light blue and flashes of red. Chinese social-media reactions picked up precisely on that lightness. Fashion KOL @Nikki-Min contrasted the collection with Trotter’s previous two seasons, which she felt could appear heavy because of their substantial materials, before praising the new collection for finally allowing the clothes to “breathe.” Shu Qi attended alongside Guo Jingjing, while Chinese models Sun Feifei and Zhang Lina were also part of the wider Bottega Veneta moment. Here, celebrity helped draw attention without overwhelming what consumers were actually discussing: color, materials, styling and how the clothes moved. Tod’s turns an ambassador appointment into a fashion-week moment Tod’s connected its Milan show particularly closely to its China strategy. On September 24, the brand announced Zhu Zhu as a house ambassador; the following day, she attended the Spring/Summer 2027 show carrying a T Signature bag personalized with her initials, “ZZ.” A video of her arrival posted by Tod’s approached one million views on Weibo. On the runway, Matteo Tamburini looked back to the visual culture of the 1990s, when both his own tastes and Tod’s modern identity were taking shape. Formal clothes became sportier, while sportswear gained more precise construction. Gommino dots migrated from footwear onto ready-to-wear and accessories, leather was worked until it behaved almost like fabric and geometric panels disrupted otherwise polished silhouettes. The timing made Zhu Zhu’s appointment feel less like a separate celebrity announcement and more like part of the collection’s introduction to China. The personalized bag, front-row appearance and arrival video gave audiences several ways into the same brand story. Milan’s China playbook gets more sophisticated Celebrity remains an indispensable part of fashion-week communication in China, but the strongest moments in Milan showed that reach alone is not enough. Yang Mi’s hair gave Prada an immediate viral image, but “The Skirt” supplied an idea audiences could continue discussing. Zhu Zhu’s Tod’s appointment connected a celebrity moment directly to a new ambassador relationship and personalised product. At Bottega Veneta, meanwhile, Chinese conversation moved readily from Shu Qi’s arrival to the collection’s lighter leather and shifting palette. A front-row appearance can generate millions of impressions, but visibility becomes more valuable when audiences can attach it to a recognisable creative proposition.

MFW: How Prada, Gucci, BV vie for China’s attention

How 2026 welcomed ‘Too Cool’ back

Upgrade to Pro

Sectors

Insights

Company

MFW: How Prada, Gucci, BV vie for China’s attention

How 2026 welcomed ‘Too Cool’ back