Milan Men's Fashion Week has unfolded with a poignant shift, marking its first edition without the late Giorgio Armani. Yet, the schedule still features fashion's elder statesmen, including an 80-year-old Paul Smith and 86-year-old Ralph Lauren, whose recent presentations revealed two very different trajectories for iconic brands.
Paul Smith's Personal Salon Show
On Saturday evening, Sir Paul Smith took to the microphone himself to compère his Men's Fall/Winter 2026 show at the brand's Italian headquarters. This intimate, playful format was a deliberate homage to the salon shows he witnessed at the ateliers of Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s. "I really wanted to do a salon show," Smith explained, highlighting the personal touch in today's corporate fashion landscape.
The collection was a vibrant testament to his signature hallmarks: bold prints, bright knitwear, and excellent suiting, this season cut in an oversized silhouette. The inspiration, however, came from looking backwards. Smith revealed the show resulted from a collaboration with new design director Sam Cotton, who has been delving into a treasure trove of 5,000 designs from the Paul Smith archive.
"They come back and they go: 'Look at this,'" Smith said of his team. "I say: 'I did that in 1982.' 'Yeah, but it's bloody marvellous.' And then we rework it." This process resurrected pieces like a jacket from 1999 and a rust-coloured grandad shirt Smith originally "dyed on a gas cooker in a saucepan."
Navigating Challenges with Legacy
This archival dialogue is a strategic move to attract new customers to a label founded in 1970, but Smith remains firmly in command, arriving at the office at 6am daily. The brand, however, is not immune to wider industry pressures. It felt the post-pandemic luxury slowdown, with turnover falling 7% in 2024. Smith was candid about the current year, stating, "Our results this year won't be very good at all." Yet, he struck a resilient note: "But we're here and we're working it out, and we're going to be fine."
Ralph Lauren's Preppy Power Surge
In stark contrast, Ralph Lauren's show on Friday was a celebration of unmitigated success. The brand is currently a fashion powerhouse, riding a boom in the preppy style it has defined for nearly six decades. This is reflected in hard numbers: sales surged 11% in the first quarter of 2025, and the phrase "Ralph Lauren Christmas" trended online during the festive season.
Held in a palazzo purchased by Lauren in 1999, the show merged the Polo and Purple Label lines. Front-row guests included Lauren's son David and celebrities like Tom Hiddleston. The presentation meticulously charted the wardrobe of the affluent American WASP archetype, from weekend fleeces and rugby shirts to opera suits and ski-ready puffers.
The brand's cultural and commercial dominance will be further cemented in February when it returns to Milan to outfit Team USA for the Winter Olympics. Where Paul Smith leverages deep history for renewal, Ralph Lauren demonstrates the enduring, and currently booming, power of a perfectly honed aesthetic.
