The AW25 Milan Fashion Week Debrief

This season, the scene was set for Milan to enter a new chapter. Many key brands celebrated major milestones – 100 years of Fendi , 50 years of Gucci and 40 of DSQUARED2 – while debuts at Alberta Ferretti , Blumarine and Missoni marked new beginnings, and new-to-the-runway Giuseppe di Morabito brought fresh energy.??

This exciting stage in Milan’s fashion scene resulted in an effervescence throughout the city – one that provided a proliferation of parties (on the runway or after dark) and an abundance of talent on the ground to help celebrate. There were 70% more influencers activated this season (year-on-year), sparking a surge in Earned Media Value (EMV) by +27% year-on-year, reaching $190 million, according to Lefty data. But which moments, brands and personalities cut through???

Scale and Intimacy?

Milan found success via two opposing production approaches: grandeur vs. intimacy. Diesel , DSQUARED2 and Fendi opted for scale and celebration. DSQUARED2 ’s birthday bash, complete with a viral performance by woman-of-the-hour Doechii alongside rapper JT, earned the brand $16.2M EMV, making it the sixth most impactful brand of the week. Meanwhile, Diesel went viral with a community-centric approach, launching an international street-art collective whereby six miles of canvas was sent across continents for 7,000 students to graffiti before returning as an enormous show installation.?

On the other hand, while in a phase of leadership transition, Bottega Veneta treated its guests to an intimate night of music, poetry and film, curated by Patti Smith. Similarly, Bally found success in curating an exclusive guest list of around 100 editors and selected talent. This industry buzz boosted the brand’s overall impact, with media and industry coverage taking up 43% of posts about Bally , placing the brand above Giorgio Armani and Blumarine.??

Night Mode?

Fashion weeks are naturally celebratory moments, harnessing the ability to bring industry personnel together and forge new connections. Milan came equipped with an abundance of parties that moved beyond the runway into classic aperitivo hours or all-out raves, designed to foster community and create a lifestyle alignment.?

Marni made its mark by hosting an aperitivo with Martini: guests were seated around tables and served drinks, leaning into the familiar setting of a Milanese bar, as talent such as Tracey Ellis Ross and painter Orfeo Tagiuri walked by, all contributing to a strong $2.37M in EMV. Meanwhile, Diesel flipped their cavernous show space into the site of an afterparty, inviting guests to dance to thumping techno under the shadow of giant inflatable covered in graffiti well into the early hours of the morning. This extravaganza earned the brand $6.6M EMV, as per Lefty.?

Underground and Grassroots??

Elsewhere, brands look to forge local connections, tapping on the ground party collectives with real roots in the city to throw sponsored raves in the brand’s name. Fiorucci worked alongside the growing Milanese party Gatto Verde, known for throwing monthly parties in a warehouse in the south of the city, to cohost an official afterparty for their show.???

Swedish brand Avavav followed up its show and closed out the final night of fashion week with a similar blow out, working alongside local media title NSS to spread the word and TRRRMOTO, an event series and platform that centres queer and Latin voices in the city, to secure the lineup of local and international performers. These clever connections allow brands to participate in on-the-ground conversations while benefiting from the legitimacy and cultural cache these underground organisations and their communities provide.?

The Personality Hire?

Storytelling remained a critical component to amplify online presence throughout Milan, but not all stories were told on the runway or during the afterparties. Brands that joined forces with big personalities with highly engaged audiences saw their EMV amplified.?

The Rise of Lyas?

Social-first talent such as @Ly.as skyrocketed through the influencer rankings to become the 11th most impactful profile in Milan, generating over $3.2M in EMV with a sizeable engagement rate of 7.58%. Known for his – often brutal – yet personality-filled storytelling, Lyas provides his followers not only with a front row seat, but a hot take on behind-the-scenes moments. During Milan, his content ranged from post-show reviews, off-the-cuff celebrity interviews (with the likes of Hunter Schafer and #6 ranked K-Pop star Hyunjin), backstage gossip and sneak peaks. His reportage brings with it a fun-filled and unique take on fashion week that goes beyond the narrative of traditional media institutions. ??

Earning Super Status?

Meanwhile, Alex Consani’s presence continued to grow. The model – who was crowned 2024’s Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council – is known not only for her striking looks, but her aptitude for satirical storytelling across social media. Consani was Max Mara Fashion Group ’s #1 talent, generating almost 10% ($297K EMV) of the brand’s visibility – helping them reach the top 10 most visible brands across the schedule.?

Versace’s Voice?

What better way to tell your story than through the words of your founder? Donatella Versace continues to be one of the leading voices for her own brand, generating $3.3M EMV for Versace . The much-adored fashion icon builds close relationship with her talent roster, appearing alongside brand ambassadors in a string of content surrounding her events. By doing so, Versace showcases a narrative of brand community – an intrinsic component in building brand resonance in today’s luxury landscape.?

Want to know more??

Discover how your brand performed at fashion week and how you can optimise your influencer marketing strategy to drive noise: reach out to [email protected] today.?

Stay tuned as our Insights team unpicks more vital metrics, emerging trends and stand-out communications strategies from key cultural events, such as the upcoming womenswear season, backed by data from our partner at The Independents , Lefty .??