Milan Fashion Week opens on Tuesday, a feast of Italian style set to be dominated by the latest collections from the late Giorgio Armani and new faces from Gucci and Versace. Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Max Mara, Fendi, Roberto Cavalli, Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta are among the brands showing their women’s spring/summer 2026 collections during the week.
But the event will be overshadowed this month by the death of Armani, the legendary 91-year-old head of a multi-billion-euro empire that helped put Milan on the fashion map. Giorgio Armani’s show on Sunday was supposed to be a grand affair, the culmination of celebrations marking 50 years of the beloved Hollywood brand.
The show, held at Milan’s prestigious Pinacoteca di Brera art museum, is now expected to serve as a final tribute. The museum is also hosting an exhibition from September 24 to January 11 to mark the 150th anniversary of Armani’s masterpieces, a project that was long in the making and on which the designer worked “until the very last moment,” according to the group.
Carlo Capassa, president of the Italian Fashion Chamber, said earlier this month: “We celebrate Milan Fashion Week in memory of one of its founders, Giorgio Armani,” he said. Armani offered “creative, entrepreneurial and humanistic lessons” to the industry during a time of transformation, “where vision, quality and stability represent fundamental values.”