In a complex macroeconomic market, few brands are capable of maintaining stability. Even fewer have managed to achieve growth in the fashion and luxury sector. Among the latter, Prada Group outperformed every expectation. According to the October 23, 2025 report, net revenues were up 9% year over year, marking 19 consecutive quarters of growth for the Group, with Miu Miu rising 41% over the first nine months (Prada Group). The question comes naturally: is there a magic recipe for finding water in such a desert? We tried identifying four reasons behind the extraordinary success of the Milanese Group. Nonconformism Since her fashion debut in FW 1988, La Signora has been clear about her intentions: fashion is an instrument that serves people — not an artistic, theatrical,…
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A Look Inside American Retro Studio
The following is an edited transcript of an interview conducted with Laure Pariente, founder and creative director of American Retro Studio. With over 25 years of experience in the fashion industry, Laure has played a key role in shaping contemporary French fashion through brands such as American Retro, Zoé Tees, and My Lovely Jeans. Today, she focuses on upcycling, garment reconstruction, and circular creativity. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Zoe: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today for Bocconi Students for Fashion. To start, could you introduce yourself and American Retro Studio? Laure: Of course. My name is Laure Pariente,…
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La Casa Novanta, Up Close
The following is an edited transcript of an interview conducted with the co-founders of La Casa Novanta: Florence Koch, Benita Schranner, and Josephine Moell. La Casa Novanta, founded in 2025 in Milan, creates handmade artisanal chokers. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Siena: Thank you for meeting with me today for this interview for Bocconi Students for Fashion (BS4F). Could you introduce yourselves and La Casa Novanta? Josie: Yes, of course. We are Florence, Benita, and Josie — three roommates in Milan who founded La Casa Novanta, a creative entrepreneurial project developed alongside our studies at Bocconi. We design and handcraft chokers using upcycled materials. Our goal…
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“The Girl on the Subway Who Opened Chanel”
I always question whether I’m someone who believes in fate, in signs, or whether it’s all just stories built in my head. But every now and then, sometimes, just sometimes, the signs arrive so loud and so clear that, for a moment, I can’t pretend they’re anything else. You’ve probably heard about the girl who recently blew up the internet: Bhavitha Mandava, the first South Asian to open for Chanel. Her story feels like fate, and it resonates something all of us quietly live. Bhavitha took the internet by storm overnight, but she also stole the world’s heart. Not only because she opened one of fashion’s most iconic shows, one…
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Gen Z, Vintage, and the Realities of Sustainability: A Conversation with Claudio Marenzi
As Gen Z rewrites the rules of fashion consumption, favouring sustainability, authenticity and a new kind of brand loyalty, luxury maisons are under pressure to understand what truly resonates with younger audiences. To unpack this shift, we spoke with Claudio Marenzi, Herno’s Executive Chairman and a key figure in Italy’s high-end manufacturing sector. With notable openness, he discussed the rise of vintage, the power of communication and the uncomfortable truths behind the industry’s sustainability claims. Beatrice Longo: How do you believe fashion maisons are perceived by the new generations? Claudio Marenzi: Well, first of all I think it’s essential to distinguish between male and female perceptions of high-end fashion. Women tend to have a special attention for accessories, while…
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Kiss, Marry, or Kill? S/S 2026 PFW Debuts
Standing out at Paris Fashion Week has never been harder, yet every house this season found its own way to try. The Spring/Summer 2026 shows in the French capital leaned into emotion, experimentation, and spectacle. Creative directors reinterpreted archives, played with presentation, and used theatrics to make their mark. The result was a week defined by individuality and risk, where each debut reflected a different vision of what modern fashion can be. Let’s take a closer look at this season’s Paris Fashion Week debuts. Dior by Jonathan Anderson – October 1st 2025 Siena: Jonathan Anderson brought his signature volume, architectural silhouettes and playfulness from Loewe’s menswear to Dior’s womenswear for…
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Smash or Pass? S/S 2026 MFW Debuts
The Spring/Summer 2026 season felt like a collective reset for fashion. Across Paris and Milan, heritage houses placed their futures in new hands, with creative directors stepping into roles that carried both immense pressure and possibility. The results were varied. Some found strength in restraint, others in spectacle. Let’s take a closer look at this season’s Milan Fashion Week debuts. Gucci by Demna – September 23rd 2025 Stephanie: Demna’s debut collection “La Famiglia” feels like a highlight of Gucci’s best creative moments, an homage to its community, identity and to the previous designer that shaped what it is today. After Sabato di Sarno’s attempt to reinvent Gucci, Demna had to…
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The Beauty In Flaws
How often would you spend €1,500 on a coat that carries a stain, not by accident, but by design? That question came to me when I discovered HOUSE of ZAZI, a slow fashion label that honours heritage, culture, and the women who give it life. Renowned for its coats crafted from vintage textiles (some even over a hundred years old), ZAZI chooses to embrace each of its unique surface details, from tiny stains to uneven stitching. The brand believes these are not imperfections, but stories woven into the fabric and symbols of each textile’s journey. In a world obsessed with overconsumption and rapidly changing trends, the brand is creating something…
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The Armani Legacy
When Giorgio Armani passed away on September 4th at the age of 91, Milan Fashion Week fell unusually quiet. Days later, his house unveiled Pantelleria, his final collection and a calm goodbye to a career defined by understated brilliance. Named after Armani’s beloved island retreat, the collection drew on the tranquil spirit of his getaway. Silhouettes in muted sand and sea tones mirrored Pantelleria’s landscapes and filled Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera with a sense of serenity. It was more than a show, it was the end of an era – one that raised inevitable questions about who will carry his legacy forward. Roots & Philosophy After completing his military…
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BS4F Career Guide: The Role and Future of the Fashion Editor
Fashion editors are hardly the most unheard of or enigmatic figures in fashion; names like Anna Wintour, Suzy Menkes or Carine Roitfeld surely ring a bell. Their roles have been glamorised countlessly on television and through literature. Although The Devil Wears Prada, supposedly a satire of Mrs. Wintour, gives fun beginner’s insight on this career, it isn’t a rigorously accurate depiction. So what exactly is a fashion editor and what comprises the scope of their responsibilities? Fashion editors are the people who oversee the process of imagining and producing content for fashion-specific outlets, traditionally magazines. Editors report to the editor-in-chief; the highest-placed and most powerful editor of a publication. Their…
