The mood was less declaration, less spectacle and more meditation and suggestion. Across five particularly resonant collections, designers offered of course clothes, but also philosophies of movement, of ritual and of reconsidered masculinity.

Prada - Uniforms Undone

Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada turned the ordinary into the sublime with ease. And ease was the word, but not the kind peddled by resortwear. Rather, Prada proposed a deeper kind of ease: clothes that relinquish symbolism, reject over-design, and resist the pressure to mean too much. Shown on scribbled floral carpets at the Fondazione, the collection unpicked the syntax of utility dressing. Uniforms, industrial, athletic, safari, were rinsed of their cultural baggage and reimagined with innocence. A white collar shirt gave way to hot-pant-style nappy shorts that evoked 1950s swimwear with a cooler twist. Elsewhere, elongated smocks, track jackets and loosely tailored safari suits floated with a kind of lucid freedom. In place of urgency and complexity, Prada offered simplicity, sunlight, and the gentle permission to just exist. 

There was great clarity in the collection’s restraint. No overwrought ideas, no digital trickery, no irony for irony’s sake. Just the enduring appeal of a perfectly balanced trench coat, or a pair of bloomers that say, with conviction: why not? Which also reads as a subtle rejection of fashion’s current obsession with spectacle and opacity.

Magliano - a sabbatical disarray

Rather than a traditional runway show, Magliano’s SS26 unfolded like a cinematic fever dream, a nocturnal voyage. Directed by Thomas Hardiman, the short film staged on a ferry boat charts a drifting chorus of characters awakening. The collection proposes a sabbatical not from work, but from fashion’s expected grammar. Rope is used to fasten, tents are turned into clothes, and polyester clashes with cotton. There are silhouettes that mutate mid-thought, coats in voile so airy they seem to evaporate, and classic tailoring that looks packed in a bag, creased in rush, scarf-entangled, and full of unresolved intentions. Footwear spans from Titanic-era boots to soccer shoes made in collaboration with Veja, underlining Magliano’s characteristic ability to straddle chaos and ceremony. That’s the point. It’s fashion for the in-between, frayed, fogged, and longing for pause.

QASIMI - Ten Years of Constructed Memory

Marking a decade since its founding and the eleventh collection under Hoor Al-Qasimi’s direction, QASIMI’s Spring/Summer 2026 presented a measured and introspective body of work. Shown for the second time in Milan, the collection explored themes of hybridity, cultural dialogue, and impermanence, drawing directly from the late Khalid Al Qasimi’s original vision. Core to the collection was memory nylon, a crease-retaining technical fabric that visibly responds to wear, used in modular jackets and trousers. The brand’s signature palette of sand, black, and earthy tones remained intact, while layered constructions, surplus textiles, and utilitarian cuts introduced renewed focus on texture and form. Tailoring was hybridised, trouser-skirt combinations and structured jackets offering gender-neutral silhouettes. 

Created in collaboration with Lebanese artist Dala Nasser, the collection incorporated visible seams, raw hems, and embroidery techniques rooted in her material-based practice, bringing an added dimension of tactility and process. Accessories extended the narrative: crocheted keychains in abstract animal shapes hinted at transformation and blended identity. Overall, QASIMI SS26 was a beautifully executed continuation of the brand’s evolving language, anchored in memory, defined by craftsmanship, and grounded in cultural intent.

Paul Smith - A Travel-Inspired Return to Form

For his first official Milan runway show, Paul Smith delivered a collection infused by personal history and refined playfulness. Inspired by a long-forgotten souvenir book of colour-tinted photographs from a Nile trip 25 years ago, the Spring/Summer 2026 collection drew on themes of travel, memory, and curated eclecticism. The result was a well-executed mix of classic tailoring and vibrant patterns, grounded in Smith’s signature balance of irreverence and craftsmanship. Fish and floral prints appeared across crepe shirts, jackets and knitwear, coloured directly from the Egyptian source material. Trinkets, metal key charms, shells, coins replaced buttons or adorned accessories, evoking market souvenirs that gain meaning through ownership. Suits in lightweight mohair and silk-linen blends were cut cleanly, while relaxed silhouettes came through in smocks, flap-pocket shirts, and flared shorts styled with racing sneakers and mid-calf socks.

Accessories like faux-croc luggage tags and key fobs hinted at a fictional hotel narrative, reinforcing the travel theme without overpowering the clothes. The collection demonstrated Smith’s ability to merge storytelling with sellability, offering garments that are as considered as they are commercial.

Emporio Armani - the nomad way

Emporio Armani’s SS26 collection opened with a short, high-energy segment from EA7 (Sub-label of the brand focusing on sportswear and athleisure), models in ultralight nylon technical gear, featuring geometric prints that would reappear throughout the mainline show. The transition from performancewear to full Emporio was seamless, reinforcing the collection’s underlying theme: global movement as an aesthetic foundation.

Drawing visual references from North and Central Africa as well as Central Asia, the collection placed emphasis on travel, textile heritage, and cultural hybridity. Carpet-embroidered duffel bags and tasselled accessories grounded the looks in traditional craft, while silhouettes ranged from relaxed tunics and silk bloomer trousers to paneled leather coats and oversized fringed outerwear. Light tailoring and metallic-finish fabrics brought Armani’s signature refinement into the mix, alongside embellishments like amulet necklaces, patterned skull caps, and smock tops printed with wildlife illustrations. Though expansive in scope, the collection remained cohesive in execution, held together by a beautifully muted palette, soft structure, and a focus on tactile materials. The result was a well-composed, culturally referential offering that maintained Armani’s core principles while broadening its geographic and stylistic lens.

Montblanc - Leather, Written Softly

In its first-ever fashion presentation, Montblanc entered the conversation with intention. Artistic Director Marco Tomasetta unveiled a 16-look capsule collection crafted entirely from Nappa calfskin leather, a material chosen not for flash, but for its ability to hold memory and form. Building on his ongoing exploration of the Montblanc desk as a symbol of creativity, Tomasetta translated the rituals of writing into garments: envelope-style pockets, nib-shaped fasteners, and embossed archival motifs all echoed the Maison’s literary heritage. The silhouettes are refined, leather jackets cut like second skins, worn with accessories from the SS26 collection that reinforced a vision of considered, portable elegance. Rather than borrow from fashion’s louder tropes, Montblanc proposed something more intimate: a wardrobe that wears like a well-used journal, shaped by time and touch. Presented alongside the brand’s second campaign with Wes Anderson, the capsule felt less like a debut and more like a continuation of legacy and of tactile storytelling