Independent Brands at Milan Fashion Week Blend Art, Travel, and Memory

During Milan Fashion Week (February 25 to March 3), independent brands presented autumn/winter 2025/26 collections that go beyond fashion, exploring three main themes: the dialogue between fashion and art, travel as physical and mental experience, and memory as creative root. Florania's collection "As Above, So Below" drew on surrealist icons Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, and Leonor Fini, using upcycled materials and hand-painted prints. Giada, under creative director Gabriele Colangelo, reinterpreted Botticelli's "La Primavera" with a focus on metamorphosis and the Iris flower. Lessico Familiare's "Abecedario" used words as structural elements in fashion. Durazzi Milano's "Acoustic Garden" paid homage to Krautrock, Cosmic Music, and sound art. Domenico Orefice's "A3 R3 Concorde" referenced mountaineering with distressed denim and destroyed finishes. Giuseppe Di Morabito's "Alone with the Stars" blended strength and vulnerability through structured tailoring and 19th-century corsetry. Lorenzo Seghezzi debuted with "Epitelio," exploring body perception and gender dysphoria using deadstock fabrics. Marco Rambaldi's "Memoria Futura" celebrated mothers with vintage and crochet pieces. Gianluca Capannolo honored French actress Anouk Aimée with a palette from turquoise to eggplant, featuring trench coats in vinyl and silk.