By Sanjana Mundhwa. Cover image by Artiola Xhulajpdf.
Italian fashion has been defined by legendary figures whose vision extended far beyond trends—they built foundations, set global standards, and told stories for generations. For these founders, design was never about pleasing everyone; it was a language of identity, expressed through romance, rebellion, and unwavering discipline. With the recent passing of Valentino Garavani, the industry pauses to remember not only a designer of true elegance, but an era shaped by conviction and uncompromising beauty. Written from the perspective of a Gen Z fashion student, this piece explores how those legacies continue to shape the world we wear today.
Valentino, Armani, Versace: The Designers Who Built Modern Italian Fashion
Valentino Garavani crafted a vision of women as both sensual warriors and emotional forces, immortalizing passion in his signature Rosso Valentino—the vivid red that dominated red carpets from the 1960s onward, dressing icons such as Jacqueline Kennedy and modern stars like Anne Hathaway. His atelier gowns, defined by precise pleating and romantic flourishes, transformed femininity into high art, proving that couture could be both emotional and powerful.
Giorgio Armani revolutionized the 1970s and ’80s with deconstructed elegance: soft-shouldered suits and fluid silks that redefined modern power dressing. By stripping away rigid tailoring—think unpadded jackets for working women and Richard Gere in American Gigolo—he turned Milan into the epicenter of minimalist luxury that still shapes boardrooms and red carpets today.
Gianni Versace electrified the fashion scene with baroque opulence and unapologetic sensuality, blending ancient Medusa motifs with the raw energy of pop culture. From Elizabeth Hurley’s 1994 safety-pin dress to gold-chain prints, Versace fused high fashion with celebrity, street culture, and queer expression, cementing the house as a symbol of fearless provocation.
Together with trailblazers from Gucci, Ferragamo, and beyond, these houses elevated Italian fashion into a living art form—one that continues to resonate from postwar glamour to today’s global stage.
Miuccia Prada: Where Fashion Meets Ideology
Italian fashion did not fracture with the passing of its founding legends. Instead, it continues through visionary figures who protect heritage while reinterpreting it for a fragmented, hyper-contemporary world. Chief among them is Miuccia Prada, the intellectual force behind Prada and the playfully subversive Miu Miu, who has redefined luxury as a space of contradiction, power, and critical thought.
Prada’s ascent began in the late 1970s, when Miuccia transformed her family’s leather goods business into a global powerhouse, merging highbrow references—from Proustian literature to Marxist theory—with nylon backpacks and pared-back silhouettes that disrupted the excess of the 1980s. This duality remains central today. Prada explores dystopian futures through rigorous minimalism: the AW25 collection’s steel-gray tailoring and elongated proportions evoke corporate armor and quiet resistance, while the AW26 menswear collection sharpens the concept with oversized wool coats over razor-thin trousers—architectural forms Miuccia described as “armor for the modern man, fragile yet unbreakable.”
Miu Miu, by contrast, dismantles girlish nostalgia through irony. The SS26 previews feature micro-miniskirts layered over elongated knits, capturing a Gen Z reappropriation of Y2K aesthetics with self-awareness and control.
This evolution accelerated in 2020 with the appointment of Raf Simons as co-creative director of Prada. The Belgian designer, known for his radical work at Calvin Klein and Dior Homme, fuses Miuccia’s conceptual provocation with youth-driven precision, injecting the house with renewed cultural urgency.
In an industry fatigued by fast fashion and AI-driven sameness, Prada stands as Italy’s intellectual north star—less about preservation, more about fearless reinvention.
Versace After Gianni: Change and Continuity
Versace has long existed without its iconic founder, Gianni Versace. Donatella Versace, who led the house creatively for nearly three decades after his death in 1997, stepped back in 2025 into ambassadorial and strategic roles. Following Prada Group’s acquisition of Versace in December 2025, she continues to oversee the house’s heritage alongside President Lorenzo Bertelli.
Dario Vitale, appointed Chief Creative Officer in March 2025, exited after just eight months and a single collection, leaving the creative direction temporarily under CEO Emmanuel Gintzburger as the brand awaits a new appointment which now has a real name.
Despite this period of transition, Versace remains a symbol of confidence, inclusivity, and modern empowerment—honoring Gianni’s legacy while adapting to the demands of contemporary luxury.
Is Pieter Mulier the Designer Who Could Redefine Versace? Yes!
All eyes are now on Pieter Mulier, who recently announced his departure as Creative Director of Maison Alaïa to being appointed as the new one at Medusa’s Maison. After presenting the Alaïa Fall 2026 collection in March, Mulier will close his chapter at the Parisian house. Persistent industry rumors position the Belgian designer as a potential candidate for Versace’s creative leadership, signaling a possible new direction for the iconic Italian brand—one that could blend sculptural precision with renewed sensuality.
Maria Grazia Chiuri at Fendi: A New Chapter Rooted in Meaning
Maria Grazia Chiuri, appointed Fendi’s Chief Creative Officer in October 2025 after succeeding Silvia Venturini Fendi, brings a design language shaped by intellectual feminism, symbolism, and a deep dialogue between fashion and culture. Known for translating political and social narratives into refined visual statements, Chiuri balances historic craftsmanship with contemporary meaning.
Her highly anticipated debut for Fendi will take place at Milan Fashion Week with the Fall/Winter 2026–27 collection, where she is expected to reinterpret Roman artisanal heritage through a quietly powerful vision deeply rooted in Italian tradition.
Gucci, with Demna Gvasalia at the creative helm since July 2025, continues to evolve Florentine heritage into a culturally resonant, visionary form of streetwear—bridging tradition and transformation.
These houses function as living institutions: anchored in history yet constantly evolving, from Milan Fashion Week runways to global street style. Italian fashion does not mourn its legends—it celebrates them, evolves through them, and thrives precisely because of that continuity.
Bottega Veneta, under Louise Trotter, has redefined understated luxury through extreme artisanal precision, proving that relevance does not require logos. Dolce & Gabbana continue translating Italian identity into a global visual language.
What defines Italian fashion’s living heritage is not the absence of its founders, but the resilient systems that allow these laboratories of craftsmanship and vision to endure beyond them. Italian fashion is an inheritance—built through brilliance, passed down, and reshaped across generations. Valentino, Armani, and Gianni Versace may belong to history, but their influence remains stitched into every silhouette shaping the industry today.
