More skin than hype: Milan's menswear fights for relevance

It is no secret that menswear rarely enjoys the same level of attention as womenswear. Milan's menswear seasons have always been more subdued, overshadowed by the city's spectacular womenswear calendar and the increasingly ambitious productions in Paris. SS27, however, has exacerbated this imbalance more than usual. The season was so sparsely attended that the absences became the story, raising an uncomfortable question: has menswear given up on Milan?

The answer was evident even before the official end of Milan Fashion Week, as the industry's attention had already shifted to Paris. For Milan, this is more than a minor issue; it reveals a fundamental problem. The city is finding it increasingly difficult to retain the international fashion scene's focus until the end, competing for attention, audience and cultural relevance. Paris was the immediate beneficiary. While Milan's momentum faded, the industry gathered for the start of its menswear shows, kicked off by Louis Vuitton, even before the Italian event had officially concluded.

Has the co-ed format made menswear week obsolete?

Comparable moments of grand-scale production were rare in Milan. Some of the attention even shifted completely away from the official calendar. One of Italy's most talked-about menswear presentations this season took place not in Milan, but earlier in Florence at Pitti Uomo. Simone Rocha debuted her first standalone menswear collection there, generating significant buzz. The reaction was, in some cases, more pronounced than for many of the shows on the Milan schedule.

There were also personnel changes within the industry, including Adrian Appiolaza's departure from Moschino and his swift replacement by Sunnei founders Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo. One of the week's most defining conversations thus emerged not from the shows themselves, but from the surrounding context. This points to a shift in focus away from the official schedule to the movements behind it.

Milan did attract a noteworthy line-up of international brands. Thom Browne, who usually shows in New York or Paris, presented in the city for the first time. New York stalwart Ralph Lauren returned for a second season, and Paul Smith continued his Milan presence after leaving London behind. On paper, these are significant additions. In practice, however, they did not fundamentally change the perception of the week. Prada remains the only local constant capable of generating the kind of anticipation that once defined Milan as the capital of menswear.

There was no shortage of presentations, but this format inherently appeals to a narrower audience and rarely creates the cultural aftershocks of a runway spectacle. They are efficient, commercially rational and increasingly in line with how brands want to operate today. At the same time, they contribute to a quieter, less visible fashion week, one that functions as a trade platform but leaves little trace as a cultural event.

Part of this development reflects deeper structural changes in the fashion world. As the lines between menswear and womenswear continue to blur, co-ed shows have become the standard. For many brands, separating the calendars makes little sense, either creatively or commercially. A joint presentation offers efficiency, coherence and a clearer brand identity.

The cumulative effect, however, is less positive. Every decision to integrate menswear into a broader show removes another fixed anchor from the menswear calendar. Over time, this undermines the density on which a standalone fashion week thrives. It accelerates a cycle where fewer shows lead to fewer industry attendees, which in turn weakens the overall relevance of the week.

Little hype despite a lot of bare skin

Nevertheless, while SS27 lacked the density of shows that once defined Milan's menswear, a clear aesthetic shift emerged in the collections: the return of the body as a central focus.

Throughout the week, there was a growing interest among designers in showcasing the male form rather than concealing it. After years dominated by oversized tailoring and relaxed silhouettes, creative directors for SS27 significantly intensified their efforts to make the male body visible.

Micro-shorts, body-conscious knitwear, transparent fabrics and open shirts appeared repeatedly, underscoring the new focus on physicality. What emerged, however, was not a uniform silhouette but a spectrum of idealised body images.

Some collections, such as Dolce & Gabbana's, deliberately accentuated muscular physiques. Prada, meanwhile, developed a distinctly leaner, reduced slim-line silhouette. This was a form largely absent from menswear in recent seasons and last seen with such emphasis in the early 2000s.

The juxtaposition of these ideals reflects a broader cultural shift. Masculinity is no longer defined by a single dominant ideal, but by competing and often contradictory body images. This development is reminiscent of patterns that have long shaped womenswear. The growing expectation to curate, optimise and make bodies visually legible has now fully arrived in menswear. Social media has further amplified this dynamic with a constant stream of idealised male body images, and the runway is once again the stage where these very ideals are negotiated.

The result is a form of menswear increasingly defined not just by the clothes, but by the body beneath them, which has become visible, malleable and standardised by external imagery. Yet, as pronounced as this shift was in the collections, it could not overshadow the structural question that accompanied SS27 from the start: has menswear given up on Milan?

For now, the answer is no. The signs, however, are mounting. When relevant conversations happen outside the schedule, when the industry leaves before the week is over, and when a few houses carry the burden of relevance almost single-handedly, a fashion week has lost its gravitational centre, regardless of how many shows are officially on the calendar.

Milan still presents menswear, but it shapes it less and less. As long as this remains the case, this question will not go away.