Gucci to Return to Men’s Fashion Week
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GUCCI’S CHOICE: Milan Men’s Fashion Week is three months away, but it’s getting an unexpected boost, courtesy of Gucci. The Italian fashion brand will be returning to the January edition with a men’s wear show to be held on January 14, after deciding to go coed in 2017. Since then, the Italian fashion company has opted to present its collections during women’s fashion week in February and September. “It seems only natural to me to present my men’s and women’s collections together. It’s the way I see the world today,” said Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele at the time.
However, things are changing, and after a number of slimmer men’s fashion week calendars, more labels could perhaps be enticed to follow Gucci’s example. Camera Nazionale della Moda has been working on shaking up the status quo and in July it revealed Milan Fashion Week would present different show calendars going forward. Some key Italian fashion players agreed to rotate slots in upcoming seasons to favor a more balanced calendar to benefit the system and the city. As a result, during the latest women’s Milan Fashion Week edition in September, Prada staged its show in the afternoon of the first day of shows, Sept. 18, a Wednesday, instead of the afternoon slot on Thursdays the brand has usually held. Consequently, Gucci postponed and staged its show — then coed — on that Sept. 22, effectively closing the week.
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In the following season of women’s shows in 2020, Gucci will reprise its usual Wednesday spot, presenting its fall 2020 collection on Feb. 19, while the Giorgio Armani show will be staged on Feb. 23.
Coed shows have gained some traction with some brands, such as Dsquared2, followed for example by Alessandro Dell’Acqua earlier this year, who decided to show his men’s and women’s collections under the No. 21 moniker to offer a single “design reference and reinforce the brand positioning,” he said. Other Milan-based brands that have opted for a coed runway show include Bottega Veneta and Missoni. On the other hand, Salvatore Ferragamo and Jil Sander, for example, have returned to differentiating the shows after holding coed events.
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