For its fifth edition, Vogue World arrived in Milan with an ambitious tribute to Italian craftsmanship and the people behind fashion. Staged beneath the glass vaults of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the event brought together historic fashion houses, international models and performers to explore the relationship between traditional skills and technological innovation. Beyond the scale of the production, its central question concerned the place of human creativity in an increasingly automated industry.
Milan has always occupied a particular position in fashion, combining the international influence of its luxury houses with an extensive network of manufacturers, textile specialists and independent artisans. Unlike the traditional image of Parisian couture, Italian fashion developed much of its identity through a close relationship between design and industrial expertise. The country’s most recognisable labels emerged from an environment in which technical knowledge, specialised production and creative experimentation were often inseparable.
This relationship provided the foundation for Vogue World Milano, held on 22 September 2026, the opening day of Milan Fashion Week. Following editions in New York, London, Paris and Hollywood, Vogue brought its travelling fashion event to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, transforming one of the city’s most recognisable architectural landmarks into a runway and performance venue.
The choice of Milan was particularly relevant to the event’s theme. While previous editions had explored the relationship between fashion and theatre, sport or cinema, the 2026 presentation turned towards the processes of creation themselves. Historic Italian fashion houses were invited to produce one-of-a-kind designs, while the programme examined the relationship between craftsmanship, technology and contemporary culture.
The result was an event that combined the familiar ingredients of Vogue World, including elaborate staging, internationally recognised models and celebrity appearances, with an attempt to bring greater attention to the skills and individuals responsible for fashion’s material existence.
Under the Galleria’s glass vaults
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II was more than an impressive location. Completed in the nineteenth century, the shopping arcade connects Piazza del Duomo with Piazza della Scala and remains closely associated with Milan’s commercial and cultural identity. Its monumental iron-and-glass structure, decorated floors and historic retail spaces offered an architectural setting that reflected the event’s interest in craftsmanship and the relationship between tradition and modernity.
Its selection also placed Vogue World within the public geography of the city. Unlike a conventional runway venue, the Galleria is part of Milan’s everyday urban life, frequented by residents and visitors throughout the year. Transforming it into a fashion event temporarily altered the purpose of a familiar civic space, bringing an international production into a setting already connected to luxury, commerce and public life.
There was an evident relationship between the architecture and the theme. The Galleria itself represents an earlier moment of technological ambition, when industrial materials and engineering made possible new forms of monumental public architecture. Its iron framework and glass vaults are the result of technical expertise that has since become part of the city’s historical identity.
That history provided an appropriate context for an event concerned with the coexistence of inherited knowledge and technological development. The location also reinforced a characteristic of Vogue World since its creation in 2022, its preference for recognisable cultural landmarks that allow fashion to be presented within a broader historical and urban narrative.
Made in Italy
Italian fashion’s international reputation rests on more than the names of its designers. Behind its major houses lies a network of specialist workshops, manufacturers, textile producers and skilled workers whose expertise has been developed across generations. The expression Made in Italy carries considerable commercial value, but it also describes a complex production culture in which design and manufacturing remain closely connected.
Vogue World Milano placed this relationship at the centre of its creative direction. The event brought together historical references, traditional materials and contemporary technologies, with a programme conceived around the interaction between human craftsmanship and machinery.
Fashion houses including Prada, Armani, Versace, Ferragamo and Gucci were invited to create unique pieces inspired by the theme. Their participation provided an opportunity to examine Italian fashion through different design traditions rather than a single national aesthetic. These houses have developed markedly different approaches to clothing, ranging from tailoring and material experimentation to decorative expression and the reinterpretation of historical codes.
The decision to commission special creations also distinguished the presentation from an ordinary seasonal runway. Instead of introducing a coherent commercial collection, the participating designers were responding to a shared subject. The garments therefore belonged to a larger curatorial narrative, intended to demonstrate different interpretations of craftsmanship and creativity.
There is an important distinction, however, between celebrating skilled labour and making that labour visible. The finished garment remains the most immediate object of attention, particularly in a production designed for international audiences and digital circulation. The challenge for an event of this scale is to communicate the processes behind clothing without allowing them to disappear beneath the glamour of the presentation.
Vogue World’s emphasis on artisans and the human dimension of creation was therefore an interesting shift in focus, even if the format remained rooted in the visual language of luxury fashion.
The human touch
The relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence provided one of the most contemporary aspects of the Milan edition. As generative technologies become increasingly integrated into image-making, design development and fashion communication, the industry is confronting questions about authorship, originality and the value of specialised knowledge.
Vogue framed the event around the importance of the human element in creative work. In the months preceding the presentation, Vogue Italia’s Francesca Ragazzi described the preservation of practical skills and the capacity to learn, make and create as central to the project’s intentions.
The subject was particularly appropriate to Milan, where industrial innovation has historically developed alongside artisanal production. Fashion has never existed independently of technology. Mechanical weaving, industrial dyeing, computer-assisted patternmaking and digital design have all transformed the way garments are produced, often creating new possibilities while changing the skills required within the industry.
Artificial intelligence introduces another stage in that relationship, although its implications are not identical to those of earlier technologies. Generative systems can produce images, propose visual combinations and accelerate certain creative processes, raising questions about the distinction between human decisions and automated output.
Craftsmanship offers a different understanding of creative knowledge. It involves familiarity with the behaviour of materials, an ability to respond to physical limitations and expertise developed through repeated practical experience. The drape of a fabric, the tension of a seam or the placement of embroidery cannot be fully understood through visual appearance alone.
This does not mean that technology and craftsmanship must be treated as opposing forces. Italian fashion has repeatedly demonstrated that technical innovation can expand the possibilities of traditional skills. The more relevant question concerns how new technologies are integrated into creative practice and whether they support or diminish the knowledge of the people working within it.
Vogue World Milano approached that question through celebration rather than confrontation. Its emphasis on human creativity reflected a broader anxiety within the industry, but also a recognition that fashion’s material qualities continue to depend on forms of expertise that cannot be reduced to an image.
Five acts of Italian fashion
The programme was organised into five principal acts, each examining a different relationship between Italian culture, fashion and technological development. Rather than presenting the history of Italian dress as a straightforward chronology, the production used distinct periods and ideas to create a series of visual interpretations.
The opening act, The Artisanal Revolution, drew on the traditions of Italian craftsmanship, particularly the luxurious textiles and decorative techniques associated with the Renaissance. Velvet, brocade, lace and embroidery provided a material vocabulary through which fashion could reference centuries of artistic and technical achievement. These fabrics were especially appropriate to a celebration of Italian manufacturing, given the country’s historical importance in European textile production.
The Industrial Revolution shifted attention towards manufacturing and precision, drawing inspiration from the industrial development of cities such as Turin. This section introduced another aspect of Italian creativity, one concerned with engineering, technological progress and the relationship between industrial processes and design.
The third act, Made in Italy, examined the cultural identity of Italian fashion through references to cinema and the country’s international image. The relationship between fashion and film has been particularly important in shaping perceptions of Italian elegance, from post-war tailoring to the glamorous imagery associated with the country’s cinema and luxury industries.
The final two acts, The Age of Intelligence and The Imagination Revolution, moved towards contemporary technology and speculative visions of fashion’s future. Their inclusion broadened the historical perspective, acknowledging that Italian fashion’s identity has never depended exclusively on preserving traditional methods.
This structure gave the event a narrative that extended beyond a sequence of designer looks. It also revealed the difficulty of representing several centuries of artistic and industrial history within a single evening. Historical references inevitably became condensed into recognisable visual motifs, making the production more effective as a celebration of Italian creativity than as a detailed examination of its development.
Nevertheless, the progression from Renaissance craftsmanship to contemporary technology gave the event a coherent conceptual foundation. It positioned fashion within a longer history of invention and material expertise, suggesting that innovation has always been part of the Italian creative tradition.
Familiar faces and new encounters
Vogue World’s casting has become one of its defining characteristics. Unlike a conventional fashion show, where models are primarily selected to present a designer’s collection, the event brings together figures from fashion, music and entertainment, creating a programme in which the participants contribute to the broader cultural identity of the production.
In Milan, the runway included established models alongside a younger generation of internationally recognised faces. Mariacarla Boscono and Gigi Hadid were among the participants, bringing different periods of fashion history into the same presentation.
The presence of experienced models was particularly appropriate to an event concerned with continuity and inherited expertise. Fashion’s visual history is not preserved exclusively through garments and archives. It also exists through the careers of individuals whose images have become associated with particular designers, collections and periods.
The production extended beyond traditional modelling. Colombian musician J Balvin appeared during the opening act wearing a three-piece Dolce & Gabbana suit, while dancer Roberto Bolle contributed a performance interlude. Their participation reflected Vogue World’s established approach to combining runway fashion with other creative disciplines.
The choreography was developed by Charm La’Donna, with Stephen Galloway coordinating movement. Musical direction involved Gaspard Murphy and Thomas Roussel, while the production also drew on contributions associated with Teatro alla Scala. These elements placed fashion within a larger performance environment, allowing clothing to be presented through movement, music and theatrical composition.
The creative team included artistic director Juan Costa Paz of Convoy, fashion director Lady Amanda Harlech and styling director Peter Aluuan. Pat McGrath oversaw makeup, with Cyndia Harvey directing hair and Eri Narita responsible for nails. Their involvement reflected the collaborative nature of an event whose visual identity depended on considerably more than the garments themselves.
Front-row society
The audience was another important component of the evening. Vogue World’s red carpet brought together designers, actors, musicians, models and figures from the wider cultural industries, reinforcing the event’s position between fashion presentation and international entertainment.
Anna Wintour, Donatella Versace and Miuccia Prada were photographed together, a particularly significant image given the event’s celebration of Italian fashion. Their presence brought together individuals associated with different creative traditions and generations of the industry.
The guest list also included Dakota Johnson, Naomi Watts, Ciara, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Mikey Madison and Benedetta Porcaroli, alongside designers and creative directors such as Pierpaolo Piccioli and Alessandro Michele.
These appearances contributed to the event’s visibility, although the relationship between celebrity and fashion has become so established that it is no longer sufficient to distinguish a production of this kind. Vogue World depends on recognisable personalities to attract attention, but its editorial relevance ultimately rests on whether the fashion itself communicates something beyond the names associated with it.
In Milan, this tension was especially apparent because the event’s stated theme concerned the people whose work often remains invisible. The presence of celebrities helped bring international attention to Italian craftsmanship, yet the images most likely to circulate widely were inevitably those featuring familiar faces.
This contradiction is not unique to Vogue World. It reflects a broader feature of contemporary fashion communication, in which the labour involved in producing garments frequently receives less attention than the public figures wearing them.
A second life in the spotlight
Alongside the specially commissioned designs, Vogue World Milano incorporated vintage and secondhand clothing sourced through eBay, the event’s official partner for pre-owned fashion and accessories.
The inclusion of archival and secondhand pieces introduced another dimension to the theme of craftsmanship. Fashion’s history is not only preserved in museums or brand archives. It also survives through garments that continue to circulate, sometimes acquiring new meanings as they are worn in different contexts.
Vintage clothing can demonstrate the durability of particular materials and construction techniques, while revealing how design ideas evolve across generations. In a production concerned with the relationship between heritage and innovation, these pieces offered a practical connection to the past.
Their presence also reflected the growing importance of resale within the luxury and fashion industries. Pre-owned clothing has become an established part of contemporary fashion consumption, increasingly incorporated into editorial styling and celebrity dressing rather than treated as separate from new collections.
There is, however, a difference between including vintage fashion in a high-profile production and addressing the industry’s wider environmental challenges. The reuse of existing garments can extend their useful life, but it does not resolve questions surrounding production volumes, resource consumption or the disposal of unwanted clothing.
For Vogue World Milano, the most relevant contribution of vintage fashion was its ability to place garments from different periods in conversation with contemporary designs. It reinforced the idea that fashion develops through reinterpretation and that the value of clothing need not disappear at the end of a season.
Quarto Oggiaro in focus
Beyond the runway, Vogue World Milano was connected to a cultural initiative in Quarto Oggiaro, a neighbourhood in northwestern Milan. Vogue committed at least €2 million towards the redevelopment of the area’s public library, with the intention of creating a space dedicated to fashion, music, artistic development and opportunities for young people.
The project was developed in collaboration with the City of Milan and reflected the event’s emphasis on access to creative knowledge. Rather than directing its charitable contribution towards a temporary programme, Vogue proposed an investment in a permanent community institution.
The choice of a library was significant. As public spaces, libraries provide access to information, education and cultural participation without requiring the commercial relationships that often determine entry into creative industries. Expanding such a space to include artistic activities and technological resources could offer opportunities to people who might otherwise have limited access to them.
The initiative also introduced a geographical contrast to the event itself. Vogue World took place in one of Milan’s most prestigious central locations, surrounded by luxury retail and historic architecture, while the proposed investment was directed towards a neighbourhood outside the city’s traditional fashion circuit.
This distinction gave the project a potentially meaningful social dimension. Milan’s international fashion reputation is concentrated in highly visible commercial and cultural districts, but the city’s creative future also depends on the opportunities available to people living elsewhere.
The long-term value of the Quarto Oggiaro initiative will depend on how the redevelopment is completed and whether the resulting programmes remain accessible and useful to the local community. The financial commitment is substantial, although the cultural impact of the project cannot be measured by the scale of the investment alone.
Its inclusion nevertheless gave Vogue World Milano a purpose beyond the evening itself, connecting the celebration of established creative expertise with the development of future talent.
A place of its own
Since its introduction in New York in 2022, Vogue World has developed into an increasingly elaborate international event. Each edition has adopted a different cultural theme, using fashion as the basis for a large-scale production rather than following the conventional structure of a seasonal collection.
London’s 2023 edition drew on theatre and the performing arts, while Paris in 2024 explored the relationship between fashion and sport. The 2025 Hollywood presentation examined fashion’s connection to cinema, continuing the event’s preference for combining runway clothing with other cultural disciplines.
Milan extended this approach through a subject closely associated with the city’s identity. The emphasis on craftsmanship and technological innovation allowed Vogue World to engage with the historical foundations of Italian fashion while addressing contemporary questions about creative production.
Its position within Milan Fashion Week was also important. Held on the opening day of the Spring/Summer 2027 calendar, the event attracted attention before the seasonal collections began, creating a highly visible introduction to the week.
This placement reflects the growing importance of fashion events that operate independently of the traditional collection cycle. Vogue World does not function as a conventional runway presentation, and its objectives are not limited to introducing garments for the following season. It combines editorial direction, entertainment, cultural programming and commercial partnerships within a single international production.
Such events also demonstrate the increasing influence of media organisations in shaping fashion’s public presentation. Vogue is not simply documenting the industry’s activities through Vogue World. It is commissioning creative work, selecting participants and constructing its own interpretation of fashion history and contemporary culture.
That role gives the event considerable cultural reach, but it also raises questions about how fashion is represented. The history of an industry as complex as Italy’s cannot be fully communicated through a series of theatrical acts, however carefully conceived. Vogue World offers a selective interpretation, shaped by the editorial priorities and production requirements of its organisers.
Its significance therefore lies partly in the form itself. The event illustrates how contemporary fashion increasingly communicates through experiences designed for both a physical audience and global digital circulation, bringing together disciplines that once occupied more clearly separated spaces.
Spotlights on Italian craftsmanship
Vogue World Milano succeeded in placing Italian craftsmanship within an international conversation about creativity and technology. Its combination of historical references, commissioned garments, established fashion houses and performance offered a broad interpretation of the skills and traditions associated with Italian fashion.
The event also exposed a tension that runs through much of the contemporary luxury industry. Craftsmanship is frequently celebrated as a defining quality of fashion, yet the people responsible for it are rarely as visible as the designers, models and celebrities who represent the finished product. Bringing attention to their expertise is valuable, but it requires more than using artisanal techniques as a source of visual inspiration.
The Milan edition was most interesting in its recognition that fashion’s future cannot be discussed independently of its methods of production. Artificial intelligence and digital technologies are changing the industry’s creative processes, while the preservation of specialised skills remains essential to the quality and identity of luxury clothing.
These developments need not be understood as competing directions. Italian fashion has long depended on the exchange between tradition and innovation, with new technologies repeatedly changing the possibilities available to designers and manufacturers.
By placing that relationship at the centre of its fifth edition, Vogue World offered a more industry-focused theme than its previous celebrations of sport and cinema. The event retained the theatrical ambition and celebrity presence that have become characteristic of the format, but its subject pointed towards the less visible foundations of fashion.
The most enduring contribution of Vogue World Milano may therefore be the attention it brought to the relationship between creative imagination and practical knowledge. The garments, performances and international guests made the evening memorable, while the questions surrounding craftsmanship, technology and access to creative education gave it a relevance extending beyond the Galleria.
May