From Armani to Zegna, 22 Milan brands plan live runway shows

Milan menswear previews for fall/winter 2021-22 are returning to a mostly in-person format in January, with Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Fendi and Prada among the 22 brands staging live runway shows, Milan's fashion council announced Monday.

The president of the Italian National Fashion Chamber, Carlo Capasa, said the success of the womenswear calendar in September, with more than 40 live runway previews, indicated that "runway shows can be organized safely with social distancing and face masks."

"We need to be very careful. The pandemic is still here,'' Capasa said at a digital press conference.

Italy has seen the number of new coronavirus cases rising in recent weeks, but hospitalizations remain below critical thresholds.

The Jan. 14-18 calendar also includes 24 in-person presentations, with just nine brands choosing to present digitally. London-based JW Anderson is among six brands that will be making their Milan runway debut.

The confirmation of the Milan calendar comes just days after the British Fashion Council said its January menswear shows would not go ahead due to COVID and that they would be consolidated with the womenswear calendar in February.