MILAN — The traditional institutional presentation of the Milan Fashion Week calendar took an unpredictable turn Wednesday, when designer Stella Jean publicly confronted Camera della Moda president Carlo Capasa.
As Capasa was detailing the upcoming fashion event slated for Feb. 21 to 27, Jean stood up to claim the Camera della Moda has abruptly pulled its support of the We Are Made in Italy, or WAMI, collective of Black, Indigenous and designers of color in Italian fashion. This was established by Jean in 2020 alongside fellow designer Edward Buchanan and Afro Fashion Association’s head Michelle Francine Ngonmo, who are to be credited for igniting a DE&I change within the country’s fashion system.
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According to Jean, the Italian fashion chamber — which had been supporting the project geared at offering visibility and financial aid to underrepresented designers belonging to the Black, Indigenous and people of color community — halted its economic support last September, after four editions of successful tie-ups. This left young designers from WAMI unable to successfully complete their collections.
It is understood that Camera della Moda would usually channel funds into the project, financing both the manufacturing of collections and presentation events.
“I had pledged not to come back on the Milan Fashion Week stage [with my own brand] until all my brothers and sisters would have been given the same opportunity because I could not be the first and only Black-owned business within the Camera della Moda,” said Jean.
She did return last September, as reported, with her WAMI friends, who hit the runway for the first time after video presentations realized with support from the Camera. The physical event was financed by Jean, the designer said, but it was part of the official fashion week calendar.
“When president Capasa discovered the number of non-white Italian designers, he supported us for four editions across two years. After that in September considering the denounces we made, we were left alone…. we received an email [from Camera della Moda] in which WAMI was dismissed as the Camera no longer wanted to hold ties with the independent collective,” she said.
Alleging that financial aid was denied for the upcoming fashion week in retaliation against her publicly speaking her mind about the racial bias permeating the fashion community and Italian society at large, Jean said she would go on a hunger strike until Capasa “guarantees that no one will ever face repercussions, and that [designers from WAMI] will be safe and given opportunities at Milan Fashion Week.”
Camera della Moda’s Capasa rejected allegations of retaliation and detailed the nature and evolution of the tie-up.
“The idea of retaliation makes me shiver,” he said. “Stella’s contribution has always been important for the Camera della Moda… I’ve always appreciated her job and continue to do so. As for WAMI we do not do retaliations, we are not willing to, nor have time or power to do so.”
Detailing the most recent developments of the tie-up with the collective, Capasa said that “WAMI… was offered an entire day [this February] inside our Fashion Hub and they preferred not to partake. It’s right for companies to choose how they want to present themselves, but a day at the Fashion Hub would have been a great one.” However, the Fashion Hub doesn’t imply any involvement in the production process.
He addressed Jean, remembering that she is part of Camera della Moda’s board and invited her to join annual assemblies to question and challenge the association’s conduct. “We’re happy for you to be there and share your dissent. You are part of the association and as much as others you dictate its direction,” Capasa said.
“The assembly is the best place to discuss whatever you want to. The fact is that we supported [WAMI] for four editions throughout the pandemic when ICE [Italy’s trade agency] had doubled its funding and we channeled part of those funds into supporting designers of color,” Capasa said.
He added that both WAMI and Stella Jean were given their requested slots and appeared in the preliminary schedule shared last month, as reported.
“We had to pull back,” Jean countered, highlighting the financial struggles artisans and small independent brands face, “not only to make ends meet but also to buy fabrics and produce a collection.”
A couple of designers who have previously participated in the WAMI collective, Zineb Hazim and Karim Daoudi, still made it to the final schedule with a joint presentation. In addition, Camera della Moda has renewed for the second time its partnership with London-based Blanc Magazine’s owner and editor in chief Teneshia Carr to spotlight underrepresented designers as part of “A Global Movement to Uplift Underrepresented Brands” project. This will feature brands A. Potts, Diotima and Torlowei.
The open slots initially occupied by WAMI and Stella Jean were the only major changes the final calendar of shows reported compared to the preliminary version released last month.
Marking a return to the official schedule after a hiatus of few seasons, Iceberg will now be the fashion week opener with a show the morning of Feb. 22, followed by Antonio Marras. Highlights of the day will include Diesel, Fendi, Roberto Cavalli and Etro, to name a few.
On Feb. 23, it will be the turn of Max Mara, Prada and Moschino to unveil their respective fall 2023 women’s collections, while the following day at 2 p.m., Gucci will stage what is expected to be a transitional runway show, as the debut of its new creative director Sabato De Sarno is set for September. Meanwhile, on Feb. 24, Act N.1 will unveil its new course under the solo lead of designer Luca Lin, who just parted ways from the brand’s cofounder Galib Gassanoff, and Sunnei’s Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo will display their main lineup for fall with a coed show after having retooled the company’s business model.
The weekend will have a turbo start with the Ferrari show on Feb. 25 in the morning, followed by the new collections designed by Maximilian Davis for Ferragamo, Rhuigi Villaseñor for Bally and Filippo Grazioli for Missoni. That day will also feature a Benetton show and the debut of Chinese brand Raxxy, before ending on a high note with Matthieu Blazy’s new effort for Bottega Veneta and Philipp Plein’s usual showmanship for his namesake brand.
Feb. 26 will be Giorgio Armani’s day as well as marking the Milan debut of Japanese fashion sensation Tomo Koizumi, who will be supported by Dolce & Gabbana for the occasion. A Valentino- and Camera della Moda-endorsed designer will be revealed for the September edition of the city’s fashion week, instead.
Also at their first appearance in the schedule, Alabama Muse and Avavav will be among the five digital displays that will cap off the fashion event on Feb. 27.
Adding to the 59 total shows, a calendar of more than 70 presentations and 29 events was revealed on Wednesday.
The former format will include showcases of new projects, such as the collaboration between Max & Co. with Anna Dello Russo and Weekend Max Mara with Kate Phelan, and first-timers like Mantù, the in-house brand of Italian manufacturing company Castor; streetwear brand Barrow, which just appointed Chicca Senia as its creative director, and jewelry label Pianegonda. Incidentally, Trussardi switched from a runway show to a presentation, which will be hosted at its flagship space in central Piazza della Scala. Armani will unveil a tie-up with 10 Corso Como on a denim collection via a cocktail event at the famed retailer on Feb. 22.
Events, exhibitions and special anniversaries are to further fill the fashion crowd’s agenda. These will include the Black Carpet Awards on Feb. 24 and the premiere of the “Milano: The Inside Story of Italian Fashion” documentary directed by Emmy Award-winning director John Maggio on Feb. 26. An undisclosed Grammy-award winning artist has been teased to perform at a Starbucks private event hosted by founder Howard Schultz, too.
Exhibitions will range from Louis Vuitton’s “White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence” showcase to the photographic show “Guy Bourdin: storyteller” at Armani/Silos, while anniversaries will encompass the 70 years of shoe brand Pollini and the 50th anniversary of René Caovilla’s signature Cleo sandal, both to be celebrated with dedicated retrospectives. Italian high-end wool mill Vitale Barberis Canonico will also fete its 360 years in business presenting a special collection on the first day of Milan Fashion Week.
In addition to sharing insights on the 165 total appointments, Capasa offered data on the overall state of the industry and projections for 2023.
According to the preliminary figures he presented, in the first 11 months of 2022 sales of the fashion and linked industries (including textiles, clothing, leather goods, footwear, jewelry, eyewear and cosmetics) grew 18 percent to 98.3 billion euros compared to the same period in 2021.
Capasa said that current geopolitical and economic uncertainties demand caution in formulating projections for 2023, when he expects sales of the overall sector to reach more than 102 billion euros in sales, up 4 percent compared to the previous year.
Increases in production costs and final prices have impacted the figures. The industrial prices of the fashion supply chain grew 7.1 percent, while inflation was up 1.5 percent, below the average 8.7 percent uptick reported across other categories last year. Without considering the impact of the inflation, in the first 11 months of 2022 production of fashion goods grew 8 percent, while that of jewelry increased 14 percent.
According to the preliminary data, last year exports continued to be a key driver for the overall sector, increasing 19 percent to more than 80.8 billion euros. In the first 10 months of 2022, exports to the U.S., South Korea and United Arab Emirates grew 39.1 percent, 31 percent and 34.2 percent, respectively. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, exports to China were up 19.5 percent, too.
Considering data for the apparel, leather goods and footwear categories only, exports to the U.S., South Korea, Japan and China grew 51.9 percent, 30.2 percent, 18.8 percent and 17.7 percent respectively. Among the top 10 destinations for Italian fashion, only exports to Switzerland and Hong Kong reported a decrease between 2.5 percent and 2.9 percent.