Moncler and Gucci Take Over at FW23 Fashion Week

Credit: Jonas Allert on Unsplash

Fashion houses Moncler and Gucci dominated Fall/Winter Fashion Week (FW23), leaving attendees in awe with special appearances from Pharrell, Alicia Keys and many other collaborating brands and moguls. These immersive events allowed those in attendance to escape reality and take a trip back in time with Gucci or on a ‘glamping’ trip with Moncler.

Fashion Week is a biannual event, typically occurring in the largest fashion capitals of the world such as New York City (Feb. 10 – 15), London (Feb. 17 – 21), Milan (Feb. 21 – 27) and Paris (Feb. 27-March 7). These events give fashion houses an opportunity to show their upcoming collections to the press, potential vendors and celebrities.

The most recent fashion weeks were planned to display couture for the Fall and Winter seasons. Although it is early to be displaying such collections, Fashion Week Online explained that the shows are “previews of collections that would hit stores six months later. [Therefore they are] named after the season to come. For example, February would show ‘fall collections,’ and September would show ‘spring collections.’”

Wallpaper, a global design website, commented on New York Fashion Week saying that the schedule was “noticeably less pomp and circumstance,” as they were missing most of their regulars such as Ralph Lauren and Tom Ford. 

However, in the absence of some of these legendary fashion houses, some brands new to the scene had their time to shine. For example, fashion designer Heron Preston displayed his new collection which Wallpaper reported as “handmade… using upcycled materials (everything from deflated soccer balls to broken ceramic tiles) that he gathered from all over the city.”

Fashion critics also enjoyed Michael Kors’ show as he displayed, “a particularly sleek and cozy offering in sumptuous hues of chocolate brown, pleasing greige and classic camel,” Wallpaper reported.  His clothing styles varied as well “with fluted-sleeve knit dresses, tailoring tweaked to [the] contemporary top-heavy silhouette and several capes,” Wallpaper continued.

Marist fashion student Ava Battinelli ‘26 commented on the shows, saying that she really enjoyed the use of leather and bows, especially in the Carolina Herrera and Rodarte shows in New York City.

Aubree Schnaars ‘26 added that she loved the moment that little black dresses had over the course of the four weeks, noting the Dion Lee dress featured in NYFW that reminded her of spider webs. She explained that Lee’s collection was super unique, using different materials not common in any other collections.

In London, we saw the return of classic trends such as the trench coat and mini skirt and new ideas such as structured dresses, as seen during the Christopher Kane and Roksanda shows.
Perhaps the most awe-striking event from that week was Moncler’s show, which was branded as the ‘Art of Genius.’ The show took over “the vast central hall of Olympia London with numerous immersive installations created alongside the eclectic cast of collaborators for which the brand’s ‘Genius’ project is known,” Wallpaper reported. 

“These included Pharrell Williams, who created a surreal ‘outdoor’ space in the venue inspired by ‘glamping’,” according to Wallpaper. However, Pharrell was not the only celebrity or big brand to make an appearance in Moncler’s events. 

Other companies and celebrities included Mercedes Benz, Adidas, Rick Owens, Palm Angels, Salehe Bembury, Roc Nation by Jay-Z, FRGMT and Alicia Keys. This lineup displayed what Moncler classified as the geniuses of our time in terms of the fashion industry.

In Milan, most of the trends displayed in New York and London were making a reappearance. The Gucci show was considered to be that of “pure perfection,” with a theme of “Looking Beyond Tomorrow,” Hypebeast reported.

“The Gucci design team took its FW23 showcase as a moment of reflection while looking toward the future that marks a new era for the Italian label. Historical cues from past Gucci collections were recalled throughout the range, observed through a modern lens that signifies the crew’s creative process,” Hypebeast explained.

As for Paris, some designers such as Givenchy, Off-White and Chloe reinvented some classics such as trench coats, denim and trousers, making them more modern and appealing to a younger generation. 

According to Refinery29, some common trends expected next year are the color red, cargo pants, puffer jackets and leather.