Runway Nomads
Where the Shows Go, the Power Follows
A few days ago, on my feed, a post showed up mentioning Vivienne Westwood's Menswear collection SS26 being presented in Milan. It immediately reminded me of GANNI's move from Copenhagen to Paris, together with Haider Ackermann's debut runway show.
It made me wonder, is this the new team-building trip aesthetic fashion brands incorporate?
Jokes aside, I feel like this marks a big shift in the fashion month calendar, maybe in a way reflecting a political power movement. This year, the strongest leader is Paris, but instead of gaining land over England's London, it simply leaves it empty. Meanwhile, second in the fashion rulers hierarchy stands Milan.
Once upon a time, cities gave shows their meaning. Now, brands give cities their moment.
What once used to be an emblematic fashion month, bringing together the punk scene of London where kids were yelling "God Save The Queen" with the same irony the Sex Pistols did, where Paris would intoxicate you with an inferiority complex through its Couture shows and their bourgeois French-English accent, and where Milan would strike with boldness through Ready-to-Wear sexy shows, labeled loud and proud "MADE IN ITALY", and last but not least New York, well New York would just be New York, they have skyscrapers over there, they win - is now becoming proof of unbalanced political power. We no longer represent the cities. We are all independent, searching for the best place under the brightest spotlight.
With all this being said, I do love and appreciate how certain cities still respect their ancient rules and continue to thrive within them. Pitti Uomo in Florence keeps growing every year, attracting not only cool new designers, often from my old school Polimoda (preach to them and their amazing teachers), but also old, well-established brands that come with their snobbery levels low, acting as one should in a true "fare" environment. They connect with young creative minds, they host cool events - events I used to sneak into back in my Florentine days, and their eyes stay open for those who will soon be the leaders of the industry.
And having mentioned Florence and Polimoda, I can't help but draw a parallel to Paradiso and how the first idea and name came to mind. Paradiso was born in Florence, in 2021, as part of my final exam for the Creative Direction Master’s program. We were asked to launch our own brand... and that’s how Paradiso came to life. A fluid, colorful, paradise-like aesthetic. A luxury ready-to-wear brand intersected with activewear.
Take a look at the Paradiso's brand book here.