Armani's airport extravaganza: Robbie Williams performs for Emporio Armani at Milan Fashion Week SS19

With a spectacle catwalk show and performance by Robbie Williams - Armani pulled out all the stops 
1/24
Emma McCarthy3 October 2018

Ensuring your fashion show has the X factor is a chief concern for every self-respecting designer at Milan Fashion Week, but last night Giorgio Armani went to extreme lengths to make sure his show stood out from the rest, enlisting an X Factor judge to stage a special live performance.

Robbie Williams, a judge on the ITV talent contest, was flown in especially for the blockbuster showcase to unveil the brand’s latest Emporio Armani collection.

Williams, who sits on the panel alongside his wife Ayda Field, serenaded 2,300 fans and fashion week attendances with renditions of hit songs including Let Me Entertain You and Angels. His father Pete also travelled to the Italian city from Stoke-on-Trent to join his son on stage and sing a duet of Sweet Caroline.

Of course, for Armani - a designer valued to be worth $8.4 billion by Forbes this year - big budget productions are all part of the business.

Certainly, Armani has clout like no other. To prove it, he held the show inside Milan’s Linate airport, where an aircraft hanger is emblazoned with the Armani logo, welcoming visitors to the home of Italian fashion.

Passengers, ready to board flights, looked on with bemused expressions while the international fashion press - bound for a fashion show and not an aircraft - passed through security. They were remarkable scenes. But for Armani, whose giant logo has greeted visitors arriving at the airport since it was installed above the hangar in 1996, it made perfect sense. “It’s an image that welcomes the thousands of travellers who land or functions as a farewell as they depart Milan,” he said.

Models walk the runway at the Emporio Armani show
Getty Images

The showcase was something of a homecoming for the house, who has chosen to hold events in London and Paris in recent seasons.

It’s ever-widening reach on the global stage was also evidenced on the catwalk, from the topless male models who carried Armani-branded surf boards to the super-luxe athleisurewear and intercontinental tailoring for which the label is renowned.

Male models accessorised their looks with surf boards
Getty Images

Earlier in the evening, another Italian fashion heavyweight also claimed a top spot on the bill as Prada unveiled its latest offering in a showcase which sought to position fashion as the main spectacle. In a collection that was part sports-luxe, part Sixties, part sci-fi, Miuccia Prada’s unrivalled ability to create clothes which are as thought-provoking as they are beautiful served Milan Fashion Week with its highlight.

Prada's Spring/Summer 2019 show
AFP/Getty Images

In Prada’s words, speaking backstage after the show, it was a “clash between two opposites” - one the one hand, “freedom, liberation and fantasy” and the other “extreme conservatism”. This conflict resulted in an offering in which each look proposed a new set of ideas.

From the keyhole cut-out sweaters to the peacoats designed with zip sleeves for ease of carrying a bag in the crook of your arm, the attention to detail was of paramount importance to Prada.

Other additions including bubble-sole shoes, satin babydoll dresses and bodysuits scooped to the navel also suggested it was aimed at a younger customer. But as Prada was quick to add, she’s not a fan of the term millennial, believing that it “over simplifies” the next generation and their shopping habits. And simple is not a word in Prada’s vocabulary.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in