MILAN — A duo of British designer brands is expected to inject a jolt into the upcoming edition of Milan Men’s Fashion Week, scheduled for June 20 to 24.

In addition to Paul Smith, which is taking his men’s show on the road joining the Milan showcase in June for the first time, fellow British brand Vivienne Westwood is returning to the city’s calendar after nine years to present its spring 2026 men’s collection.

The Vivienne Westwood line has been unveiled in London since 2017 for both men’s and women’s. The relocation to Milan suggests a renewed commitment to the menswear division. The presentation, slated for June 22, is to feature a catwalk-like component, anticipating a full-fledged runway show planned for January 2026.

Meanwhile, the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood line will continue to be showcased as part of the Paris Fashion Week schedule in a coed a format.

Save for the two names, the calendar — which comprises 80 events, including 20 shows, five of which are digital, and 41 presentations — is particularly slim this June.

Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana president Carlo Capasa acknowledged its weakness; however, he described the lack of big names as transitional and a “byproduct of the context.”

“In part it’s linked to the crisis and decision of many brands to reduce the number of storytelling moments in the year,” he said. “In part it’s due to creative changes at many fashion houses. We hope that the landscape against which the past two to three seasons have proved weaker, will improve in the near future.”

Zegna is decamping to Dubai, showing its spring 2026 collection in the United Arab Emirates city on June 11 together with the next installment of the Villa Zegna project.

And Fendi is once again mounting a coed show in September designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi, artistic director of accessories and menswear collections, to continue celebrating its centennial. The brand is also facing changes in its creative direction after the departure of Kim Jones last year.

Other marquee fashion houses have also recently switched to the coed format, including Gucci.

Dsquared2, which has shown twice a year in a coed format during the men’s season, only appears in the calendar with a party to celebrate its 30th anniversary, an encore after the blockbuster show hosted last February, exceptionally during the women’s fashion week.

Contacted by WWD, the brand said its spring 2026 menswear and womenswear collections will be unveiled with showroom appointments during Milan Fashion Week.

“Following the incredible success of our 30th anniversary celebration in February, we’ve chosen not to present a show this summer season. Instead, we’re keeping the celebratory spirit alive with a fun gathering for our community,” Dsquared2’s Dean and Dan Caten said via email.  

Marking its 40th anniversary, Jacob Cohën is doubling down this June with a presentation of its spring 2026 collection and a celebratory party, while fashion darling Luca Magliano is experimenting with a new format, ditching his usual runway show for the screening of a short movie titled CineMagliano and centered on the new collection.

The fashion week lineup reflects the creative and business upheaval roiling the global industry. According to figures released by Camera della Moda, sales of Italian fashion amounted to 95.8 billion euros in 2024, down 5.4 percent from the previous year.

Preliminary data showed that sales decreased 5.8 percent during the first two months of 2025. Exports in January and February decreased 6 percent to 10.3 billion euros. And current projections point to a deceleration of 3.8 percent in first-half sales of Italian fashion.

“The uneven performance is the result of geopolitical instability,” Capasa said. “Fashion is really a litmus paper for the complexity of global macroeconomic challenges, which we hope will improve. Markets thrive against clarity.”

Among established brands showing continued commitment to Milan Men’s Fashion Week, Prada is showing on its usual Sunday spot at 2 p.m. CET, Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani shows are scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. CET and Monday at noon CET, respectively, while Dunhill, which has been showing in the Italian fashion capital since June 2024, will cap off Sunday’s shows with a 7 p.m. CET display. Fellow British brand Saul Nash is also returning to Milan for the second time.

Newcomers to the men’s show calendar include Fiorucci, which is officially moving from the women’s to the men’s market with a coed show; Setchu by Satoshi Kuwata, which is to hold its sophomore runway show after a catwalk debut last January at Pitti Uomo in Florence, and Qasimi, the brand now helmed by Hoor Al Qasimi after the death of her brother and brand founder Khalid, who joined the Milan showcase last January for the first time with a presentation.

On the presentation front, Bally, currently without a creative director after losing Simone Bellotti to Jil Sander, is unveiling its men’s and women’s collection on June 22. Ralph Lauren Purple Label, MSGM, Tod’s and Etro are all debuting their spring 2026 men’s collections in presentation formats.  

Entirely new to the June round of fashion presentations are Cascinelli, Leonardo Valentini, Meriisi, Rowen Rose and Uma Wang. Outbreaklab and Sagaboi are both joining the official calendar with digital presentations.

Capasa highlighted that the seasonal campaign to promote Milan Men’s Fashion Week spotlighting Italian up-and-coming talents is among the initiatives of the Cultural Olympiad, the series of multidisciplinary cultural initiatives planned throughout this and next year to promote Olympic values.

The Camera della Moda head also shared that the fashion governing body is strengthening its ties with the Triennale museum in Milan, but declined to provide details of the larger partnership currently in talks, which he said will be revealed at a later stage.