Milan Fashion Week 2025: Art Meets Fashion - Who's in Charge Next?
By Aglaïa Sokolova-Rozental
Last week’s art and fashion calendars intersected in striking ways, as Milan Fashion Week placed contemporary artists at the heart of its most memorable runway moments. Far from mere references or prints, designers invited artists to shape scenography and soundscapes of their collections, transforming shows into full-scale artistic performances. We already saw this last season, when Andreas Kronthaler collaborated closely within artists during his Vivienne Westwood show. Yet, this fashion year is kicking off with an even stronger wave of artistic influence.
Amidst this year’s major shifts in the fashion world – from the arrival of new creative directors to high-profile drama and rivalries – art is acquiring a new voice in the frivolous realm of clothing and design.
Aesthetics of Decay by Boris Acket during Hugo Boss Spring/Summer 2026 show in Milan.
Courtesy of Hugo Boss.
At Hugo Boss, the collection Paradox came to life alongside a monumental installation by Dutch artist Boris Acket. His work, Aesthetics of Decay (2025) – a foil structure designed to fold and collapse with movement – set the tone for a show about fragility, transformation, and renewal. ‘Art is part of the history of the BOSS brand,’ said Marco Falcioni, the house’s creative director. ‘This collaboration reflects the many layers of our influences, from design and architecture to dance and beyond.’
Steve McQueen and Alex McQueen at the Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2026 show in Milan.
Courtesy of Bottega Veneta.
Bottega Veneta turned to Turner Prize-winner Steve McQueen, who composed a sound piece titled ’66-’76 for the show. The work layered Nina Simone’s (1966) and David Bowie’s (1976) recordings to Wild Is the Wind, linking brand’s founding in 1966 to its upcoming sixtieth anniversary. ‘It’s an aural intrecciato,’ McQueen explained, referencing Bottega’s iconic woven leather technique. For creative director Louise Trotter, the collaboration was a way of ‘returning to the beginning to find the present.’
The integration of art into fashion weeks underscores a broader shift: collaborations no longer stop at surface-level references but instead reshape the very structure and experience of the runway. So, what’s next? As the fashion calendar continues, attention now turns to how these crossovers will evolve. Could artists step into the role of creative directors? Or should we accept that Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dogs (1994-2000) will never quite make it as handbags?
Poster of "The Codes", Grand Palais, Paris, September 2025.
Courtesy of The Virgil Abloh Archive.
In the same vein, museal institutions continue to explore the art-fashion dialogue in a more academic way. At the Grand Palais in Paris, The Codes, retrospective of Virgil Abloh curated by Chloe and Mahfuz Sultan, remains on view until 9 October 2025. The exhibition reveals the underlying codes and values that defined Abloh’s creative universe, visible across clothing, footwear, architecture, music, advertising and beyond – a deliberate attempt to homogenize art into a multimedia form. It also highlights the designer’s many collaborations over the years with artists, athletes, fellow designers, underscoring his ethics of collectivity and placing creative dialogue at the very core of his work.
Closer to home, the V&A opens an exhibition funded by Manolo Blahnik (Sex and the City & Coppola fans, it’s our moment), spotlighting Marie Antoinette’s enduring influence on style, her timeless and iconic appeal.
Bibliography:
Van Meter, William. 2025. “Bottega Veneta and Versace Deliver Art-Infused Debuts at Milan Fashion Week.” Art Net, September 30, 2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/bottega-veneta-and-versace-deliver-art-infused-debuts-at-milan-fashion-week-2693993?amp=1
Verner, Amy. 2025. “Decoded: A New Exhibition in Paris Reveals Virgil Abloh’s Design Process and Digs Deep into His Archive.” Vogue US, September 29, 2025. https://www.vogue.com/article/decoded-a-new-exhibition-in-paris-reveals-virgil-ablohs-design-process-and-digs-deep-into-his-archive
Falcioni, Marco. 2025. “The Boss Paradox.” September 26, 2025. https://group.hugoboss.com/en/newsroom/news/news-detail/the-boss-paradox-a-visual-dialogue-between-order-and-disorder
Leitch, Luke. 2025. “Boss Rejoue la Carte du Sexy pour Son Défilé Printemps-Été 2026.” Vogue FR, September 26, 2025. https://www.vogue.fr/article/boss-printemps-ete-2026
Searle, Adrian. 2025. “Turner Prize 2025 Review – Puzzling Banners, Tinkling Bells, Burning Landscapes and Bum-Like Sculptures.” The Guardian, September 25, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/sep/23/turner-prize-2025-review-cartwright-hall-art-gallery-bradford-city-of-culture
Miller, Leigh Anne. 2025. “Filmmaker Steve McQueen Created the Soundtrack for Bottega Veneta’s Milan Fashion Week Show.” Art News, October 1, 2025. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/steve-mcqueen-soundtrack-bottega-veneta-milan-fashion-week-1234755069/