Milan Fashion Week

Past Present. Act No.1 AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Luca Lin of Act No.1 is leading Milan’s new wave of designers, carving his own path in a landscape still largely dominated by mega-watt houses. His brand is a decade old, yet Lin’s work feels unseasoned in the best possible way. Trained in a traditional design discipline, he aims to “take that standard and use it to mix and match, creating something new.”

The result is a distinct way of carrying oneself: layered, oversized tailoring interwoven with details that possess a soul of their own. For autumn-winter 2026, the standout piece is a structured top hand-embroidered with more than 25,000 tiny deadstock buttons sourced from Italian manufacturer RIBL. Some of these buttons are over 50 years old, allowing the piece to blend past and present in the spirit of new materialism – a direction poignantly echoed by Hodakova in Paris.

But Act No.1 isn’t only about one-of-a-kind collectibles. The label also offers beautifully cut jackets, coats, and trousers, all subtly deconstructed and radiating an airy coolness. The sunburnt palette – ochre, mustard, orange, and burgundy – is delicious.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Well-Traveled. Loro Piana AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

There’s something inherently soothing – almost regal, but in the best possible way – about the fact that Loro Piana has no publicly known creative director. It sets the Italian house apart from the endless game of musical chairs in which designers constantly arrive at and depart from brands. Not that it doesn’t evolve – on the contrary, a breath of fresh air has lifted its ready-to-wear in recent years, and substantial internal recalibration has brought it back into the orbit of clients who once flocked to The Row – but the absence of headlines like “Breaking: X leaves Y after just two years” lends Loro Piana a sense of stability. It feels like a safe space, a sanctuary insulated from creative turbulence and industry storms.

And yet, the brand never lets you feel too comfortable. It’s like a Poliform or Cassina sofa – something you can sit in for a while, but not indefinitely, because you begin to notice a certain luxurious discomfort. There’s an intriguing, almost intimidating quality to the world of Loro Piana, and that tension is precisely what makes it aspirational.

The styling of its lookbooks is undeniably snobbish, though in a well-traveled, flamboyant way (the menswear especially has that sensibility, as if it was custom-made for a queer prince – Manvendra Singh Gohil, the first openly gay prince in the world, comes to mind). It feels less concerned with the “good taste” archetype so restlessly pursued by brands like Toteme, and more with a kind of irreverence toward anything that even faintly reads as “mass.” When everyone else leans into a CBK uniform, Loro Piana charts a cross-continental journey, its latest collection tracing influences from Normandy to Persia. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


Loro Piana Reversible Shell And Cashmere Bomber Jacket



Loro Piana Happy Day Large Leather-trimmed Felt Tote



Loro Piana Boris Double-breasted Cashmere Coat



Loro Piana Broderick Corduroy-trimmed Linen And Silk-blend Coat



Loro Piana Alba Leather Slippers



Loro Piana Vivian Cashmere-blend Mini Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Sprezzatura. Missoni AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Three seasons into his tenure at Missoni, Alberto Caliri has found his footing. The house – which had been navigating uncertain waters for years after the founding family stepped back – now appears to be entering a quiet renaissance under a creative director deeply versed in its archives, having spent much of his career within the brand’s inner circle. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


Missoni Caperdoni Striped Padded Wool And Cotton-blend Jacket



Missoni Striped Metallic Crochet-knit Turtleneck Sweater



Missoni Caperdoni Checked Tweed Mini Skirt



Missoni Ribbed Wool Turtleneck Sweater



Missoni Checked Wool Mini Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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She’s Real. Tod’s AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

For several seasons now, Matteo Tamburini’s Tod’s has been the unsung star of Milan Fashion Week. This time, his woman feels more hands-on – perhaps even faintly industrial. She could be a sculptor unafraid to work clay with her bare hands, or a vineyard owner who tends the vines herself. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


Tod’s Gommino Bow-detailed Suede Mules



Tod’s Embellished Leather Loafers



Tod’s Gommino Macro Leather-trimmed Suede Loafers



Tod’s Fringed Glossed-leather Brogues



Tod’s Gomma Embellished Leather Knee Boots

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Normal Is Sexy. MM6 Maison Margiela AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

While I sometimes struggle to understand the choices Glenn Martens makes at Maison Margiela, I’ve recently found myself truly drawn to what’s happening at MM6, the Milan-based sister line. Its intention is to create garments within the realm of Martin Margiela’s design vocabulary. Even though many designers take inspiration from – or blatantly copy – Margiela, it is always gratifying to see his work thoughtfully revived by the MM6 team.

This season, they explored archetypes and the everyday clothes they wear themselves. As a result, the “normal” became extraordinary in its simplicity and unpretentiousness: full skirts with ruffled hems, flannel button-downs, mohair turtlenecks, aged-effect jeans, anorak jackets, a perfectly understated trench coat. Sometimes the “standard” is exactly what is needed, especially when you don’t want to “dress up”. It can be imperceptibly sexy too.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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