White Milano brings creativity, international brands and fresh proposals to the city
The latest edition of White Milano welcomed 450 brands. The historic trade show, founded over 20 years ago, took place in Milan's Tortona district from September 24 to 27. It attracted over 300 top buyers and featured an expanded exhibition space. The historic T 27 and T 54 venues were joined by T 35, which hosted On the beach, a project dedicated to resortwear. T 31, along with T 54, is now home to the new More area, focusing on the beauty, lifestyle and design worlds.
A new community project for the Tortona fashion district also debuted. It featured a widespread programme of events open to the fashion community, with music, pop-ups, experiences and entertainment animating the district every day from early afternoon onwards. “A schedule designed to extend the trade fair experience beyond exhibition hours, transforming the neighbourhood into a widespread meeting, marketing and networking space for exhibitors, buyers and the entire fashion community that brings Milan Fashion Week to life,” emphasised Massimiliano Bizzi, founder of White.
Among the projects presented at the trade fair was one by the international textile group Keqiao. It brought a selection of 15 brands already featured on the Milan Fashion Week calendar, confirming the show's role as a meeting hub for the most dynamic global creative scenes. The brands featured in this section included Alberto Zambelli, Angelo, Massimo Foroni, Oliva, Puremono and Yinan Group.
“The meeting between Keqiao and Milan marks a decisive step in overcoming traditional supply chain roles, transforming the bilateral relationship into a genuine creative partnership. In this scenario, the excellence of Italian design and sartorial know-how merge with Chinese technological avant-garde, textile research and industrial capacity,” the organisers emphasised.
This is not a simple aesthetic cross-pollination, but a strategic cooperation that networks two extraordinary manufacturing and cultural heritages. Milan thus reconfirms itself as the ideal hub to welcome and project the new stylistic identity of Keqiao's brands onto international markets. It demonstrates how the dialogue between Italy and China can generate value, new business opportunities and a contemporary, global fashion language.
T 54 at White Milano hosted three new sections
T 54 at White Milano hosted three new sections: Nuvola, dedicated to fashion accessories; Box, a new urban hub focused on streetwear, activewear and denim; and More, dedicated to the world of beauty, lifestyle and design. The project was designed to engage both industry professionals and trend followers, helping to strengthen the Tortona district's role as an international destination during Milan Fashion Week.
The guest designer at White was Alessandro Enriquez's brand, which presented its ironic and sophisticated lifestyle in an area entirely inspired by the brand's mood.
On display was a cultured and pop collection, cosmopolitan and universal, capable of transporting us through time and place without moving. In this Olympus of love, you find everything: Terpsichore dancing from an amphora onto a skirt; the shell of Venus becoming a graphic sign; classic summer stripes underlining the word “love” in Greek; a dreamlike vision of Santorini; and an ironic version of the home of the gods. The designs move with the body that wears them and the words are graphic signs or messages.
The shapes are simple and contemporary, with every trouser cut one could desire, from capri to palazzo. Skirts are either pencil or full, very short or midi. There are no references to the peplum, except in some one-shoulder evening dresses or those with a column line that flows from a halter neckline.
A collaboration with ApexBrasil also at the show
Also of interest was the collaboration with ApexBrasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. It brought a multifaceted representation of the Brazilian fashion system to the heart of the international fashion scene, from creative and design aspects to the textile and apparel supply chain.
From September 24 to 27, 23 Brazilian brands participated in White through Fashion label Brasil
It was a cross-cutting presence that spanned different fashion segments.
“Milan represents a strategic step in the internationalisation of Brazilian fashion. It is an opportunity to expand the presence of our companies in international markets and connect them with buyers, partners and opinion leaders,” said Maria Paula Velloso, business director of ApexBrasil, in a statement. “Brazil possesses an extraordinary heritage of creativity, diversity, know-how and capacity for innovation. Our goal is to help transform this heritage into added value, new business opportunities and an increasingly competitive presence in global markets, while also promoting sustainability as one of the qualifying elements of our offering.”
Hidn-Ander presented a project that brings product, photography and contemporary culture into dialogue
At the centre of the installation was Starless Rainbow, one of the most immediate expressions of the creative principle that guides the sneaker brand: the Clash of cultures. For Hidn-Ander, the Clash of cultures is the point where different cultures, generations, identities, languages and archetypes come into relation, maintaining their individuality and giving rise to something new. “It is from this cross-pollination that the brand's language is born: codes and references from different worlds are reinterpreted and brought into dialogue to create contemporary, essential and recognisable products,” explained creative director Alessandro Viganò.
“With Starless Rainbow, this vision also takes on a symbolic dimension. The rainbow becomes a metaphor for a plurality capable of coexisting: distinct colours that, together, give rise to a single sign. A reference to peace and, at the same time, a broader reflection on identity, gender, cultures and generations,” added Viganò.
Accompanying the project at White was a selection of photographs by Alex Majoli, constructed from his archive and interpreted through the same idea of encounter and cross-pollination. Different cultures and subcultures, ages, origins, genders and ways of life share the same space. The images do not represent diversity in a didactic way, but rather narrate those moments when seemingly distant worlds come into contact.
Founded in 2019 by creative director Alessandro Viganò, Hidn-Ander is now part of Giano, an Italian company founded in 1946 and led by Enrico Paniccià, representing the third generation of the founding family. Joining the group opens a new phase of development for the brand, keeping its original creative principle at the core: building products through the encounter of different cultures, languages, archetypes and disciplines.
Ibeliv also returned to White: the brand that employs 4,000 artisans in Madagascar
Founded by Liv Ramanandraibe 13 years ago, the brand presented its new kaftans at White. “They are made of cotton, embroidered and available in short or long versions. They represent the new addition for next spring/summer,” said Ramanandraibe.
The story of this accessories label, especially its bags, is linked to the versatility and naturalness of raffia, a material found in Madagascar. “Raffia is a material that grows only in Madagascar; we have very rich and unique vegetation. I, who feel like an ambassador for my country, thought that through Ibeliv I could do good for the local people, for nature and for the growth of the economy.” The brand's headquarters is located in Avignon, France.
Once Milano, present at the T27 pavilion, also focused on material research. Alongside its resortwear collection, the label also exhibited some products from its homeware universe, the historic heart of the brand. Blankets, sheets, tablecloths, napkins, bath towels and linen accessories tell a philosophy based on quality materials, craftsmanship, simplicity of form and an authentic, relaxed way of living in everyday spaces.
The resort collection was born from this same vision. It features easy-to-wear pieces for women and men, natural materials, essential shapes and a freedom of use that accompanies different moments of the day, both inside and outside the home, in the city or on holiday. Alongside some iconic pieces from the previous collection, such as the Positano and Marrakech tops, new elements have been introduced to naturally cover all areas of dressing: from skirts to pareos, from dresses to trousers and shorts.