The start of the so-called fashion month comes with the designers as real protagonists: New voices are emerging in Zurich, major fashion houses are reorganizing their creative leadership, and the industry is saying goodbye to a key figure in understanding contemporary elegance.
With the Mode Suisse catwalk as the starting gun, and with early signs on the Venice red carpet, the calendar is filled with premieres, appointments and tributes that mark the pulse of an industry that seeks a clear direction without losing its artisanal essence.
Mode Suisse: A Swiss showcase for emerging designers
The Zurich event puts the spotlight back on a fertile local scene, in which schools like HEAD Geneva, the use of sketch in formation and independent labels showcase fresh, responsible and expert solutions.
Lundi Piscine, the designer's studio Lucie Guiragossian, champions textile and fashion collections with a workshop ethic: unisex, timeless garments produced in limited series, using local materials, recycled materials, and hand-screen printing. Her work exudes humor and color, without sacrificing a circular and proximity approach.
One of its most unique initiatives is the collaboration with the Geneva-based organization Le Vestiaire Social: old Swiss civilian uniforms from the 80s They are reconfigured with social and local criteria, and a portion of each sale funds children's underwear and sun protection. In addition, the studio combines knowledge with gastronomy, art, architecture, and education to create unique textiles.
Anna Nia Studio, founded in 2014, operates as signature brand and organic rhythmAfter experience in audiovisual clothing and at the Zurich-based En Soie, the designer works from her studio and distributes through pop-ups, select collaborations, and an online store. Her catalog—clothing, jewelry, accessories, and homewares—revolves around the conscious use of resources: hand-painted, recycled, or reclaimed fabrics from previous collections.
At Mode Suisse & Friends, the spotlight falls on the so-called Flow Print, a hand-painted fabric in which color and shape are born from intuitive gestures. Sober cuts and noble materials They frame natural ranges that evoke soft landscapes, combining measured elegance and craftsmanship.
Sonney Paris, by the designer Lora Sonney, is distinguished by her research into materials. Trained at HEAD, she worked for Marine Serre, Céline, and the renowned embroiderer Jakob Schlaepfer; she was a finalist at Hyères 2022 and presented a capsule with AZ Factory at Paris Haute Couture 2023. Her imagery draws on the forests of the Jura: fluid silhouettes, optimistic color and everyday objects reimagined as identifiable accessories.
Its hallmark lies in intelligent reuse—gardening tools turned into ornaments, exclusive prints and a refined aesthetic—under the maxim of less is more, but with visual impact.
TATi, the 2024 firm powered by Tatjana Haupt, expands the gap between art, fashion, and social statement. From her own microfactory, she combines techniques, textures, and colors to create portable collages, with circular economy, upcycling and short-run production. The yarns are sourced from Italian mills, partly in conjunction with Fair Fashion Factory, to move away from mass production and fleeting fashions.
Relays in the great houses: the board moves
As new names emerge, the top line of luxury is experiencing a rotation of creative directors which redefines the aesthetics of several maisons and opens another stage of competition for the story.
Chanel confirmed to Matthieu Blazy as its creative director, with the premiere scheduled for October 2025 at the close of Paris Fashion Week. In recent days, gestures such as the reissued archive looks he wore Ayo Edebiri or the little black dress of Margaret Qualley They have hinted at a possible change of course, although without official confirmation regarding the specific authorship of these pieces.
At Gucci, the appointment of the Georgian designer was announced worthy as the new artistic director following the departure of Sabato De Sarno, with a debut scheduled for early 2026 and expectations of a phase that promises to be difficult to ignore.
Valentino lives his own transition with Alessandro Michele in charge. Its first chapter, Avant les Débuts —the Resort Spring 2025— brought together more than 170 departures with its exuberant sensibility in dialogue with the romantic home craftsmanship.
There are also new developments in other firms: Jonathan anderson takes over from Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior; Louise Trotter succeeds Blazy at Bottega Veneta; and Dario Vitale Versace takes over. In addition, Meryll Rogge joins Marni in a move that strengthens the female presence in creative direction.
Venice, the alternative catwalk for designers
Before the fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris, several houses have chosen the Venice Film Festival as their showcase on a global scale to present clues from their upcoming collections.
Multiplied visibility
With the spotlights of cinema and fashion converging, brands reach wider audiences: from specialists to general media and social networks, with the push of red carpets that go viral the brand image.
Impact and media noise
The element of surprise works. The Versace case illustrates this: Julia Roberts She wore a Dario Vitale look and, days later, Amanda Seyfried She repeated the same outfit as a gesture of concession agreed upon with her stylist, amplifying the conversation about the brand.
Ambassadors
The protagonists have not been models, but rather actresses and actors who help to shape the identity of each creative stage: Alba Rohrwacher has debuted Dior haute couture under the direction of Anderson; Ayo Edebiri y Margaret Qualley They have put signs of the new Chanel on the map; Tilda Swinton She attended with Chanel Haute Couture; and Jacob Elordi confirmed the language of Louise Trotter's Bottega.
The garment as a story
Showing fewer pieces and explaining their process more allows us to highlight the craftsmanship and time: The Versace floor-length dress took about 300 hours to complete, while a midnight blue Dior Couture design took 126 hours to complete—details that are lost in a conventional fashion show.
Giorgio Armani: The legacy of a designer who changed how we dress
Fashion says goodbye to Giorgio Armani, who died in Milan at the age of 91, according to his group. His health had affected his recent runway appearance, but he remained involved in his company's projects until the end.
Born in Piacenza in 1934, he was forged outside the usual channels: window dresser at La Rinascente As a fabric expert, he made the leap with Nino Cerruti and, with his tailor's precision, brought clean-line tailoring to a wider and more demanding public.
Together with Sergio Galeotti, he promoted a silent revolution: reinforced women's clothing and softened the masculine, feminized the menswear suit, and popularized tailoring for women. The agreement with GFT in 1978 consolidated a luxury ready-to-wear product produced on a mass scale.
The cinema was his great loudspeaker: he dressed Richard Gere In American Gigolo, he has also starred in stars such as Julia Roberts and Cate Blanchett, understanding the red carpet as a means of communication. He also left his mark on museums, hotels, sports, and in a diversification that turned his surname into a independent empire.
In 2000, the Guggenheim in New York dedicated an exhibition to him; he also took pioneering measures against extreme thinness on the catwalk, designed the interiors of the Burj Khalifa hotel and dressed national teams and clubs at major sporting events. His approach—disciplined, focused on customer service, and a rejection of stridency—redefined the idea of ​​modern elegance.
Armani leaves behind a company with revenues of several billion and a succession designed for his circle of trust, with Leo Dell'Orco as the key figure. His contribution to Made in Italy and his understanding of the times make his legacy a benchmark that many designers have embraced in recent years.
What changes for designers and the industry
The current situation indicates that houses are not only looking for talent to design, but coherent and sustainable directions that withstand the scrutiny of the red carpet, the runway, and social media. Chair movements are also cultural and commercial positions in a more demanding market.
The choice of Venice as a platform, the momentum of platforms like Mode Suisse, and the influence of historical figures underline that fashion is reaffirming its greatest asset: the author and his vision, capable of dialoguing with the present without losing the thread of craftsmanship.
Between new leaderships, visibility experiments and the disappearance of one of its greats, the ecosystem of designers enters a transition phase in which memory, strategy and skill are combined to set a meaningful trend once again.
