A “phygital” fashion week – which blends physical and digital showcases – will take place this September in Italy, featuring a raft of the city’s biggest names
Despite ongoing travel restrictions across Europe – just last night, the UK announced that those travelling to France would now have to undertake a 14-day quarantine on their return – Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, the organising body behind Milan Fashion Week, has announced that the event will go ahead physically this September. At least partially – the week will combine 28 physical shows with 24 digital ones, for what has been deemed a “phygital” happening by the organisers.
The majority of the city’s biggest draws will return to the runway – or, at least, present their upcoming collections IRL – including Prada, Marni, Versace, Fendi, Giorgio Armani and more. Other brands undertaking physical presentations include Milan’s next generation: among them Drome, Sunnei and MSGM. Little is known about the precautions that will be taken at these events, though after the devastating outbreak of coronavirus in northern Italy earlier this year, distancing practices will likely be – and indeed should be – rigorous.
“[Digital fashion week] is designed to support, rather than replace, the physical fashion calendar, which will resume in September and will remain vital in promoting Made in Italy and the value of its manufacturing prowess,” said Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana president Carlo Capasa in a statement this past June. Despite the assertion of the importance of Italian manufacturing, the decision to go ahead with physical events will no doubt prove controversial, particularly amid recent surges in coronavirus rates in Spain, Germany and France, the latter of which shares a border with Italy.
Those who have chosen instead to show digitally include Missoni, DSquared2 and Marco de Vincenzo, while other names do not appear on the calendar at all – notably Bottega Veneta, Jil Sander, and Moschino (though these may be added to the calendar in the weeks leading up to September). Gucci is also absent – early on in the pandemic, the house’s creative director Alessandro Michele said that going forward they would dictate their own fashion calendar, showing just twice a year.
“Our reckless actions have burned the house we live in. We conceived of ourselves as separated from nature, we felt cunning and almighty,” the designer said on Instagram. “This is why I decided to build a new path.”