5 Things to Expect from Milan Men’s Fashion Week SS27 Don't say the plate isnt' full

The weekend that opens up before us and that will welcome the four days of Milan Fashion Week Men’s SS27 promises to be, if not completely packed, at least interesting. With only 17 physical shows, six of which are by actually Italian brands and four of which will be hosted at Fondazione Sozzani, one might almost say that this fashion weekend will be more chill for editors, buyers, and content creators compared to Paris, where big-name draws instead abound. As a positive aspect, at least, there is the fact that with the square relatively clear of the usual commercial giants, the local scene with its presentations and, in some cases, its shows will be able to emerge more into the foreground.

For the rest, we are counting on summer and September, with its cooler temperatures and fuller calendar.

1. The return of the Americans: Ralph Lauren and Thom Browne

After the success of the last season, Ralph Lauren confirms Milan as its runway for menswear collections and doubles down with a new show. Joining him is Thom Browne, another appointment with a more international scope for the week, which will close it on Monday shortly before Armani. Could this be the beginning of a trend? Or, with the growing importance of the US market, will the Americans decide to return to showing in New York?

2.      The PDF Channel film

Nostalgia, hip-hop, the ’90s, and the American dream. For years now, Domenico Formichetti’s streetwear project has gained enormous cultural traction also thanks to the following of very young people who adore the creative director of the brand and to the latter’s deep ties with the Italian rap scene. After celebrating its consecration at the Teatro Lirico in Milan last year, this year PDF has turned its SS27 collection into a film titled The Choice and directed by Cecilia Fiorelli, which we presume will continue in the same vein of fictionalized autobiography as the FW26 show last January.

3.      Domenico Orefice at Fondazione Sozzani

Domenico Orefice is one of the young stars of the Milanese firmament. He too has often frequented the Italian hip-hop world lately, with his creations seen on Lazza, Geolier, Nerissima Serpe, and Marracash. His clothes, suspended between sculptural sensitivity and dark atmospheres dominated by black leather, were already the protagonists of the debut show Lumen seen last January—the expectations are even higher. Set again in the spaces of Fondazione Sozzani, his show will close Sunday’s day, a position of undoubted prominence that recognizes the designer’s undeniable merit.

4.      Alchétipo’s Midnight Cruise

Another talent born from the precious incubator of Fondazione Sozzani, Alchétipo is an interesting brand because it is very focused on the reinvention, in a slightly gothic key, of Italian sartorial codes. The clothes of this brand have also recently had their breakout in the music world: the brand dressed the dancers in the recent video by Marco Mengoni and Angelina Mango titled Canto d’Amore, appeared on Sayf at Sanremo, as well as on artists like Salmo, Niccolò Filippucci, and Dardust. This year the brand will not show but will present, still with the support of Fondazione Sozzani, in the autonomous space of Via Tazzoli.

5.      Meriisi at the vintage store

Perhaps the most punk and original of all the Milanese newcomers, Meriisi does everything his own way, which is to say in a pleasantly anarchic manner. The most fascinating thing, besides the moiré blazers, the decadent silk blouses, and the python trench coats, is the impetuosity and iconoclasm of a brand that does not back down even in the face of sarcasm when talking about itself. With great irony and irreverence, as well as with a stroke of sardonic intuition, the brand had launched its e-commerce on Vinted months ago and, continuing on the same path, this year will present its collection with a pop-up at Pezze Vintage, one of the cult destinations in the vintage district of Via Mora. A cultural trend that is gaining more and more ground and that the brand is sardonically riding.