This season, thereâs more going down at the other fashion week than ever before. (Or so I think: since thereâs no schedule, itâs hard to definitively tell.) But anecdotal evidence abounds in my inbox crowded with invites. Several big names are also going off-calendar this season: in Paris, The Row and a post-Hedi Celine are both showing in DL formats. In fact there are so many off-book showrooms and presentations and cocktails and parties that several fashion-adjacent friends from NYC are flying to Paris next week to hang out because, as one told me, Everyone is going to be there. And by there they meant, of course, the other fashion week.
Without further ado, hereâs a subjective guide to the other fashion week, courtesy of the intrepid global GQ team who will be covering all the action on the ground.
Head of Editorial Content, GQ Italia
Milan Fashion Week will unofficially kick off on Friday with GR10Kâs presentation. GR10K is the ultimate post-gorpcore-meets-Italian-craftmanship-and-textile-know-how brand. Plus, they have the best creative community in town around them. Also on Friday, Dorian Tarantini will unveil his new project, Santamaria Sound Studio, a music design studio for brands and fashion shows.
Dorian is a true Milanese legend: fashion designer, deejay, and many many more creative jobs. Plus, he knows how to throw a party!
On Saturday, Our Legacy is holding an aperitivo in their showroom, and the best way to understand why Our Legacy became one of the coolest brands in the world is to meet the people behind it and have a drink with them.
Style Editor, GQ Italia
Milan Fashion Week has a few aces up its sleeve, well hidden among the noise of the calendar’s big names. Many brands have now hacked the system, opting not to put on a real show, but to create installations or presentations that would be the envy of the best fashion shows. Two of them are GR10K and Rold Skov. The first is Anna Grassi’s brand, which, inspired by the family business specialising in workwear and protective equipment, has reinvented gorpcore, taking it in the direction of a certain idea of almost formal fashion. Last season, GR10K organised a presentation in a theatre where an orchestra dressed in the brand’s clothes played continuously while some elements changed places. The whole thing was streamed liveâa different approach to the classic presentation.
And then thereâs Rold Skov by Luca Rossini, which I think of as a third brother in a family made up of Mfpen and Our Legacy. Luca brings his passion and a past (but also a present) in the world of music to the brand. His last collection was inspired by Primal Scream and was very modern and wearable. At the moment Rold Skov sells mainly in Japan and Northern Europe, but success in the rest of the world may only be a matter of time.
Last but not least is Bally’s new capsule in collaboration with Leo Mas. It is incredible to think how Simone Bellotti has not only made the Swiss brand his own in a very short time, but has also managed to make it one of the most exciting things on the entire Milan schedule. This time, Bally is presenting a capsule collection created in collaboration with Leo Mas, composer of almost all the soundtracks for the brand’s shows and a keen collector of vintage prints. An excellent aperitif before returning to the catwalk.
Global Fashion Director, GQ
