Italian fashion's problems according to the designers who make it In conversation with Federico Cina, Lessico Familiare, Tokyo James, Simon Cracker, Marco Rambaldi and Dhruv Kapoor

In Milan, fashion is an institution. It has filled the city’s pockets since the 1980s, but today its aura of glamour and exclusivity represents one of the greatest paradoxes of the Italian fashion industry: as a creative industry, it continually attracts young talents bringing new ideas, yet it continues to operate according to outdated logics. Until recently, Milanese fashion managed to move forward thanks to nostalgic references and the reputation of Made in Italy, but today these values, eroded by an extreme saturation of brand self-referentiality and scandals related to manufacturing, are fading. The glass ceiling that once separated historic brands and their executives from the new voices in the industry now shows irreparable cracks, caused also (though not only) by aggressive communication from major brands on social media. How can the exorbitant prices of luxury be justified if all it has tried to do in recent years is move closer to popular culture? How can an institution be called innovative if, in 2025, it takes refuge only in the reassuring style of its own archive?

The problem weighing down contemporary fashion in Milan is systemic, and what the designers we interviewed these days are saying proves it. Exclusivity, they say, is the number one enemy of innovation, especially when it is protected solely to guarantee a sense of aspiration that cannot be fulfilled. «Fashion certainly needs to maintain an aura of desire, but if it becomes just a fence for the few it loses its meaning», says Federico Cina, designer and founder of the namesake brand launched in 2019 to celebrate his Romagna roots. The founders of Lessico Familiare, an upcycling brand and winner of the Camera Moda Fashion Trust 2025, seem to agree: «on one hand it pretends to be exclusive to ensure a certain status, on the other, since everything is accessible online, it is paradoxically inclusive».

An interesting point on the issue is raised by Iniye Tokyo James, a Nigerian designer and finalist of the LVMH Prize in 2022 who has participated several times in Milan Fashion Week. Reflecting on the ambiguity of a system based on goods that strives to take part in popular culture, James acknowledges that inaccessibility can be an added value for a maison that must protect its identity. It becomes problematic when it turns into gatekeeping, limiting opportunities and diversity. «I believe there is a balance to be struck - he adds - Brands can maintain their individual identity while also fostering inclusivity in terms of access, talent development, and storytelling». And a short-term investment in new talents, like a small cash prize or a brief mentoring period, is not enough to support those who want to build a long-lasting business; careful planning and stronger infrastructures are needed, James argues.

Alongside Cina, the collective founders of Lessico Familiare, and Tokyo James, more experienced designers such as Simone Botte, who launched the brand Simon Cracker in 2010, also recognize that fashion is facing a blind spot. «I would like people to stop saying that something new is needed, if every truly unconventional choice then hits a concrete wall - comments the designer - It’s as if the new generation of fashion is forced to move within an already predetermined container, instead of having space to really experiment». From the press to institutions like Milan Fashion Week, from funding for new talents to the spaces reserved for their shows and presentations (too often on the outskirts of the city) - it is hard for the new guard to emerge when the system often turns its back on them in favor of tested schemes and names. Cracker points out that making room for innovation requires help from everyone: from the Italian press, which must celebrate all players and «not only those backed by advertising investments», from buyers, who have «the responsibility to propose something new to clients instead of just satisfying demand», and from stores and brands that «don’t pay emerging designers, putting them in great difficulty». Once again, the need for community resonates in the words of Italian creatives, tired of a system that doesn’t know how to work as a team.

Every generation has a set of values that shape its choices and interests. If in the 1980s fashion wanted to do business and in the 1990s it dove into artistic expression, «my generation feels the responsibility to talk about politics, rights, community, sustainability» says Marco Rambaldi, a designer who founded a brand in his hometown of Bologna in 2017. «We are not interested in chasing an idea of status, but in using fashion as a language to change things», which explains the need for a more inclusive system open to the public. Rambaldi explains that the perception of luxury has changed: until recently, a Made in Italy garment was considered valuable for its history and craftsmanship, but today what really matters is its «ability to create a sense of belonging». Fashion is no longer a circuit working like a pyramid built on appearances, but rather like a network of connections between people united by a common passion. The clothes and brands that succeed now are those that communicate these values.

Generational values aside, it must be acknowledged that commercial viability will always be a necessity for any fashion brand that wants to stay active - as the founders of Lessico Familiare say, «if you don’t sell, you’re out» - but the social awareness and ambitions of the new leaders of the Italian fashion industry speak of rather genuine intentions. Cina, for example, says his generation «is not looking for commercial success or the approval of major maisons: it wants to tell something personal, to give voice to an identity. There is a strong desire for authenticity and to leave a mark that is not only aesthetic, but also cultural and ethical». A sentiment also shared by James - «For many of us, the goal is not just to create seasonal collections, but to build brands that outlive us, brands that stand as cultural legacies» - and by Rambaldi - «we aim to build strong, coherent, and authentic identities, capable of lasting over time and having a cultural impact». Dhruv Kapoor, one of the most influential Indian designers in the country who has been choosing to showcase in Milan for years, echoes the thoughts of his Italian colleagues, stating that «today’s designers think about responsibility towards people, the planet, and culture.» For Kapoor, the main goal of his generation is «to question, provoke, and heal through clothes. It’s not a rejection of the past, but an evolution of it». 

In short, it’s time for the Italian fashion industry to listen to the voices of those who will soon become its protagonists. Although the big names on the calendar have withstood the passing of years, between changes in creative direction and corporate management, if Milan wants to remain relevant on the international scene it must shift into a new gear, faster and future-oriented. «We would like to watch the fashion shows and recognize the brand, whether good or bad, and remember that collection even years later», comments Lessico Familiare; «I would like Italian fashion to return to having a more authentic relationship with its roots and with real people», adds Cina, while Rambaldi hopes for the birth of «a less hierarchical system, an ecosystem capable of nurturing innovation and process consistency». If sales are the greatest goal of Italian fashion, but the industry is currently facing a period of crisis, then the scheme followed until now no longer works. This is not a criticism, but a redirection of focus: Milan and the rest of Italy are truly brimming with new talents, young designers and entrepreneurs ready to showcase their own ideas for innovating the system. Fuorimoda, in all this, could be a great place to start.