The great Brexit of fashion? Why British designers are decamping to Milan

Milan Men's Fashion Week is where all the big Italian names converge. This is where Prada dictates the shape of the pants that everyone will one day wear and where Gucci launches the next it-bag. But as the shows began this weekend, an unexpected new trend emerged: the great Brexit of fashion.
Just four months after making his directorial debut creative from Dunhill in London. fashion week, Simon Holloway instead chose the Italian capital for his spring/summer 2025 show. On Sunday, he aimed to recreate “the atmosphere of a beautiful spring day in England” by appearing in a garden in Milan .
Martine Rose, the cult London designer whose clothes are inspired by traditional codes of masculinity such as football and club culture, and loved by celebrities including Kendrick Lamar, also defected this time. Presenting directly after Prada on Sunday, Rose took pride of place in the schedule, which has more than 80 events and runs through June 18.
David Koma presented women's clothing in London. since 2009 – his glamorous designs have been worn by Rihanna and Beyoncé – but for his menswear debut he decamped to Milan, while this month Paul Smith traveled to Florence as a guest designer at the Pitti Uomo.
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Gianluca Borghi, general manager of 10 Corso Como, a luxury concept store based in Milan, says the Italian city's fashion week is gaining strength. Borghi says that different fashion cities dominate at different times, but “Milan offers a rather particular and almost unique scenario, thanks to the combination of a privileged location for both the creative world and its commercial counterpart. »
The exodus of British talent is a blow to the London fashion scene already hit by Brexit, the abolition of duty-free shopping for tourists and the crisis of the cost of living.
Rose said she felt “very discouraged and sad about the fashion landscape in London, really demoralized”. Half of his team is now based in Milan. Holloway says that while London is "the epicenter of creativity", commerce...

Fashion Jun 18, 2024 0 4 Add to Reading List

The great Brexit of fashion? Why British designers are decamping to Milan

Milan Men's Fashion Week is where all the big Italian names converge. This is where Prada dictates the shape of the pants that everyone will one day wear and where Gucci launches the next it-bag. But as the shows began this weekend, an unexpected new trend emerged: the great Brexit of fashion.

Just four months after making his directorial debut creative from Dunhill in London. fashion week, Simon Holloway instead chose the Italian capital for his spring/summer 2025 show. On Sunday, he aimed to recreate “the atmosphere of a beautiful spring day in England” by appearing in a garden in Milan .

Martine Rose, the cult London designer whose clothes are inspired by traditional codes of masculinity such as football and club culture, and loved by celebrities including Kendrick Lamar, also defected this time. Presenting directly after Prada on Sunday, Rose took pride of place in the schedule, which has more than 80 events and runs through June 18.

David Koma presented women's clothing in London. since 2009 – his glamorous designs have been worn by Rihanna and Beyoncé – but for his menswear debut he decamped to Milan, while this month Paul Smith traveled to Florence as a guest designer at the Pitti Uomo.

David Koma and five models wearing his range pose in front of a white screen

Gianluca Borghi, general manager of 10 Corso Como, a luxury concept store based in Milan, says the Italian city's fashion week is gaining strength. Borghi says that different fashion cities dominate at different times, but “Milan offers a rather particular and almost unique scenario, thanks to the combination of a privileged location for both the creative world and its commercial counterpart. »

The exodus of British talent is a blow to the London fashion scene already hit by Brexit, the abolition of duty-free shopping for tourists and the crisis of the cost of living.

Rose said she felt “very discouraged and sad about the fashion landscape in London, really demoralized”. Half of his team is now based in Milan. Holloway says that while London is "the epicenter of creativity", commerce...