First Fashion Shows in Milan

At the end of the 1970s, the Milanese calendar of fashion presentations came to be divided into three distinct events that aimed to highlight the three crucial components – creative, industrial, commercial – of the new Italian fashion system that was emerging in Milan in those years. Milanovendemoda, organized by product category (prêt-à-porter, boutique, knitwear, leather, sportswear and accessories) was a trade fair sponsored by Assomoda, an association composed exclusively of commercial fashion operators. Milano Prêt-à-porter (later Milano Collezioni) was promoted by the National Chamber for Italian Fashion and dedicated to the most prestigious brands. Modit (short for Moda italiana) was instead promoted by Associazione degli industriali dell’abbigliamento and Associazione degli industriali della maglieria.

Complementarity, competition and conflict between the three promotional events made the identity of Milanese fashion in those years still uncertain, as documented by the contrasting reviews in the international press. 

However, comparisons of the reports of high-end events attest to the creative distance that separated Milanese fashion from the conservative strictures of fashion in Rome paraded on the catwalks of the capital at the end of the 1960s.

Andreotti's speech: opening fashion show at Campidoglio, 14th July, 1967, Roma. Archivio CNMI.