Official MFW Schedule Released
● 58 runway shows, 81 presentations and 33 events will animate the city of Milan from Feb. 19 to 25.
MILAN — The Italian Fashion Chamber on Monday detailed the upcoming edition of Milan Fashion Week, which runs from Feb. 19 to 25.
According to the association's president Carlo Capasa, 58 collections will be unveiled with runway shows, 81 brands will organize presentations and 33 events will be hosted, including the launch of the “Franca Chaos and Creation” book on Feb. 19 at 10 Corso Como, which will also be the location on Feb. 21 of the “Moda Povera” artistic performance by Olivier Saillard.
This edition will see the returns to the Milan runways of Bottega Veneta, which will host the first runway show under new creative director Daniel Lee, as well as of Gucci, which last September headed to Paris to show its spring 2019 lineup. In addition, the Giorgio Armani brand will host its first coed runway show and Aquazzura will stage a presentation at its Milan showroom, after seasons of events in Paris.
Marco Rambaldi, Marios, Alexandra Moura and Gilberto Calzolari, the recipient of the Franca Sozzani GCC Award for Best Emerging Designer, will be among the labels making their debut at Milan Fashion Week.
As reported, United Colors of Benetton will open the week with a show to debut the collection designed by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, while an event organized by the municipality of Milan, the Italian Fashion Chamber and San Pellegrino will celebrate emerging designers and upcoming chefs and close Milan Fashion Week.
Camera Nazionale della Moda also teamed with the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency and the Xi'an International Fashion Town to present at its Fashion
Hub a selection of Hungarian and Chinese fashion talents. The same location will host the Fashion Hub Market, where buyers will have the chance to scout new labels, including the three finalists of the International Woolmark Prize 2018/2019, as well as a workshop organized by Instagram and the presentation of the book “Italiana. Italy seen through fashion 1971-2001,” hosted by Maria Luisa Frisa.
Although Capasa highlighted that the growth of the Italian fashion industry will see a slowdown in the first quarter of 2019 “due to Brexit and the uncertainty of the new regulations on custom duties,” the sector is expected to register a 1 percent increase compared to the 2.8 percent growth in the same period last year. The president also put the focus on the crucial importance of Milan Fashion Week, especially on the overall business of the city as last year Milan received total income of 160 million euros following the different editions of the shows.
For this reason, Milan town councilor for work, fashion and design Cristina Tajani revealed the city has developed in collaboration with the Italian Fashion Chamber a media and communications plan to promote the image of Milan Fashion Week, both locally and across international markets.