As the industry’s gaze fixes once again on Milan, with Milan Fashion Week just around the corner, the story worth telling isn’t only the one unfolding on the runways of Via Montenapoleone’s biggest names. Sure, there’s Armani’s power suiting, Versace’s baroque glamour, Miuccia Prada’s intellectual rigor, and the quiet, unimpeachable tailoring that’s kept Milan on the map since the Sixties, but you can’t reduce Italian style to this. Here, we’re paying homage also to the new guard of Italy-based talents and designers reworking the codes of Italian craftsmanship. These are the labels that prove that Italian fashion’s future isn’t just being written by the maisons everyone already knows, and ahead of Fashion Week, we are sharing with you eleven names absolutely worth your attention.
1
Giada
Long before quiet luxury became a headline, Giada has been embracing it since the start. Founded in Milan in 2001 by Rosanna Daolio and now helmed creatively by Gabriele Colangelo, the label has built its identity on clean-lined, softly powerful tailoring. With production rooted entirely in Italy and a flagship on the storied Via Montenapoleone the brand exudes a kind of understated elegance that every woman should feature in their wardrobe. Silks, delicate lace, fur and cashmere turned into soft, feminine shapes.
2
The Archivia
Every great fashion story begins somewhere deeply personal, and for Rosa Aquino, it began in her grandmother’s wardrobe in Naples. Launched in 2021, The Archivia borrows its name (and its entire soul) from those inherited garments: the coats, the prints, the pieces she spent hours studying as a child. That instinct for permanence over trend now defines the label’s entire philosophy: pieces meant to be worn, reworn, and eventually passed down. Emblematic of the brand are the feather inserts that turn up across dresses and suits either rimming a sleeve, tracing the outline of a slit, or trailing down the back in a long sash; a single detail with the power to elevate an entire look.
3
Poeve
Born in Veneto, Poeve began life in 2012 as Poesie Veneziane, a father-son venture between Sebastiano and Gabriele Conte that has since evolved into a refined expression of Italian craft and modern style. Every pair is designed in the family’s Veneto studio using leather from top Italian tanneries, then handcrafted across small workshops the country over. The Fall/Winter 2026 collection puts boots at its centre comprising equestrian classics, modern cowboy silhouettes, and more experimental takes on colour and materials in line with this season’s trend: we’re loving the snakeskin pumps as well as the simple, chocolate suede loafer.
4
Blazé Milano
How many interpretations of a Blazer can you think of? don’t worry, you don’t need to think any further because Corrada, Delfina and Sole have thought about it for us. Three powerhouse women who met at Elle Italia decided to put their creativity, experiences in the luxury market, passion for haute couture and contacts into good use and build a brand around one staple: the blazer. Each season, this piece is reimagined in ever-covetable fabrics and colour ways, and fortunately for us, autumn happens to be the ultimate time to invest in a fantastic checked, tartan or houndstooth piece. Of course, there’s also an entire ready-to-wear collection to browse from, the blazer is simply your starting point. The price range sits higher than average, but this is a reflection of the fabrics sourced from Italy’s finest mills and the exacting, small-batch tailoring behind every piece.
5
GiA Borghini
Founded in Florence by Barbara Borghini, Gia Borghini is synonymous with iconic. Think sculptural heels, sporty hardware, and just enough couture-level polish to elevate even the simplest outfit into a statement. Rooted in artisanal Florentine craftsmanship yet carrying a distinctly modern language, each silhouette has a playful confidence that’s rare to find in footwear; no surprise, then, that the brand is bolstered by a fast-growing global community. One of the signature designs to watch for this autumn is “Ninette”, a sculptural mid-calf boot defined by a fluid, slouchy silhouette with an open toe produced in both leather and suede.
6
Le Tre Sarte
Walking through Rome’s artsy neighbourhood Monti, you’ll find the colourful atelier of Le Tre Sarte, a made-to-measure tailoring brand founded by Camilla Rocca. Camilla traces her sensibility back to Paris, where she once worked in philanthropy for the Opéra. Her office sat just above the costumiers’ atelier, and slipping downstairs to lose herself among the silks became a daily ritual; that’s where she learned to recognise the quality of fabrics. Le Tre Sarte is slow fashion in its truest form, with a zero-waste philosophy that encourages conscious, considered shopping. From dead-stock and up-cycled fabrics, the artisans craft jumpsuits, vests, coats and suits, all made-to-order.
7
Gianni Chiarini
Ask any fashion editor what’s actually in their bag rotation, and odds are good the Marcella makes an appearance. Born from a Florentine leather-working family that’s been at it since 1974, Gianni Chiarini has quietly built a cult around a single, deceptively simple idea: the slouchy, unstructured tote that looks effortless precisely because it isn’t trying to be a logo-covered It bag. Beyond this iconic staple, the label’s wider collection plays a subtler game; handbags that stay largely neutral in colour but let the material do the talking, from the Dua in ostrich leather to the faux-fur wrapped Infinity (our eyes are on that one for the winter season ahead).
8
Fabiana Filippi
Founded in Giano dell’Umbria in 1985 by the Filippi Coccetta family, the label has spent four decades proving that a sweater can carry as much craft, texture and intention as anything on a couture rail. The A/W 26 collection makes that obsession explicit; inspired by Italian artist Maria Lai and Japan’s Chiharu Shiota, the yarn itself becomes the statement. Bouclé threads unravel into fringe, airy knits take on the lightness of feathers and silhouettes move between enveloping relaxed volumes and sharper shapes. We adore the soft colour palette of the brand, with garments that range from optical white and butter through maple, wicker and falcon grey, that slot into an existing wardrobe with almost no effort at all.
9
La DoubleJ
No brand has made maximalism feel more joyfully Italian than La DoubleJ. Founded by former fashion journalist J.J. Martin in Milan, the brand turns superimposed prints and saturated colours into playful, incredibly stylish ready-to-wear as well as a home collection that anybody mildly obsessed with crockery would pine over. What we particularly love about the collections is the range of patterns and motifs from grand jacquards you’d expect to find on a historical Venetian palazzo wall, to more psychedelic whirls and twirls — not to mention the feathers, sequins and frills that give it that little something extra, oh so very representative of JJ herself.
10
Sara Battaglia
Milanese designer Sara Battaglia has built her namesake label on a sharp, playful sense of glamour that revolves around bold accessories and ready-to-wear that nod to Italian cinema’s golden era while feeling entirely of-the-moment. The iconic plissé bucket bags are divine while the sunglasses are the kind that scream statement-making.
11
MeiMeij
Based in Carpi, the beating heart of Emilia-Romagna’s Made in Italy knitwear district, MeiMeij was born from the passion of MeiMei, a designer of Chinese origin who grew up watching her mother work in a tailoring atelier. Alongside her husband Zhangfeng Ye, she now oversees a business built on that same dedication and attention to detail, carried through every stage of production. The brand’s essence lives in a feminine, contemporary aesthetic through architectural volumes and sculpted silhouettes, softened by romantic details and considered craftsmanship. The palette remains largely neutral, set apart by a few louder colours such as lime green and Ferrari red, reminding us that even the most disciplined wardrobe deserves the occasional plot twist.