Armani himself explained his decision with these words: “A few hours before the show, I asked myself what I could do to mark what was happening. It wasn’t a question of sending money or clothes. Nothing like that. To express how my heart felt for its children …” and here Armani paused, overcome by emotion. “The best thing to do was to send a message saying that we aren’t happy, that we don’t want to celebrate this return to runway shows, because something is happening around us that we find greatly troubling,” he concluded.

A little later on the same day, in the former church of San Carpoforo, where she had just shown her collection, Francesca Liberatore stepped on the runway. Taking two models, one Ukrainian, one Russian, by the hands, she invited the audience to observe a minute’s silence. Here too, even a mere minute, as a mark of support for all the people affected by the conflict, was enough to spark powerful emotions.

Except for these two special moments, it was all business as usual at Milan Fashion Week, in an atmosphere of absolute exhilaration, hordes of fans gathering to catch a glimpse of starlets and influencers as they entered and exited the shows. Everyone was unfazed by the handful of protesters that had come to express their solidarity with the Ukrainian people outside the most popular shows, like those by VersaceMax MaraPrada

A few designers expressed their feelings about the war, albeit very discreetly. Like Elisabetta Franchi, who posed surrounded by her models, the picture captioned by this message: “Backstage here, there are women from all over the world, all together, without borders. This is the kind of world I would like to see. Say ‘no’ to war.” Other designers took a stand against war on social media. But they did so in generic fashion, on their private rather than their labels’ accounts, like the boss of MonclerRemo RuffiniAlessandro MicheleGucciInstagram

The KeringBalenciagaDemna Gvasalia

Interviewed backstage just before the start of his show, the designer and founder of MSGMMassimo Giorgetti