Innovative Fashion: Emerging Brands at Milan Fashion Week

The recent Spring/Summer 2025 runway shows in Milan clearly reflected global economic headwinds, a complex geopolitical landscape, and softer-than-expected sales. In this climate, while major legacy houses naturally captured the spotlight, it is equally compelling to highlight some of the lesser-known brands that nonetheless brought truly innovative ideas to the runway.

SIRIVANNAVARI

SIRIVANNAVARI unveiled its Spring/Summer 2025 collection in a prime location overlooking the Duomo. Guests and press were treated to a selection of looks exploring two contrasting facets of human nature: fragility and strength. Designed by HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya—the brand's founder and creative director—the collection draws on sculptural elements, featuring designs in organza and chiffon crafted to evoke effortless movement.

The brand's Spring/Summer 2025 collection is a celebration of duality in female strength and delicacy. The founder and creative director presented ensembles constructed with lightweight fabrics and draped transparencies—wrapped or knotted to convey a sense of motion, ripples, and swirls—brought to life through contrasting materials like cotton, lace, and leather. The collection also features singular techniques, such as resin applied to fabric and leather, mimicking the fluid drape of a gown conceived as a marble sculpture.

DURAZZI MILANO

DURAZZI MILANO presented a collection inspired by the states of matter of water: a biological process of regeneration transitioning from solid to liquid and gas. The concept was envisioned by Ilenia Durazzi who, together with artist Maurizio Cattelan, co-founded Durazzi Milano to explore femininity through the unconventional rules of contemporary art.

A quest for essentialism, storytelling details, a refusal to chase fleeting trends, and an uncompromising focus on quality form the core principles guiding the brand. Reflecting on the label’s debut, Ilenia stated:

"I've worked in fashion for nearly 15 years, ten of which were spent in Paris where I was fortunate enough to work alongside some of the most brilliant designers of the 2000s, from Balenciaga to the menswear team at Maison Martin Margiela. Three years ago, when I felt ready, I decided to take the leap and dedicate myself fully to this project."

DES PHEMMES

For DES PHEMMES' Spring/Summer 2025 collection, designer Salvo Rizza weaves a stylistic narrative centered on a passionate love story between a young bourgeois woman and a motorcyclist. The collection draws inspiration from the 1968 cult film The Girl on a Motorcycle, starring Marianne Faithfull and Alain Delon—a title referencing the iconic scene where Rebecca steps into her full-body leather suit wearing nothing underneath.

The Des Phemmes wardrobe thus becomes a captivating study in contrasts: faux-leather biker jackets paired with crystal-embellished lace bustiers, sequined pencil skirts, oversized menswear shirts alongside 1960s A-line dresses, duchesse silk miniskirts, and lace-up leather trousers teamed with ribbed knits and cropped cardigans.

Des Phemmes' growing popularity among celebrities shows no signs of slowing down. Rizza’s creations have recently been worn by global icons like Dua Lipa, further accelerating the brand's expansion in the United States.

Rizza's vision of femininity was shaped early in his career at Giambattista Valli in Paris, where he moved after graduating in fashion design from Milan's Istituto Marangoni in 2011. Starting as a design intern, he rose through the ranks to oversee both prêt-à-porter and haute couture collections. Upon returning to Milan, he freelanced for houses such as Agnona, Max Mara, and Emilio Pucci before launching his eponymous label.

Milan Fashion Week demonstrated that despite broader economic challenges, there remains ample room for fashion that defies convention and explores uncharted territory.

Rossano Bisio