Milan Fashion Week is in full swing, and I am so glad to live in the city and be part of the bustling fashion scene. There are many fashion events in the city, and on Monday evening, I had the opportunity to attend a talk on The Future of Fashion Designers featuring Renzo Rosso, Sara Sozzani Maino, and Vanessa Friedman.
They shared many precious lessons for aspiring or young fashion designers that I thought you may want to hear.
These are my Key takeaways:
✔️ Contests open doors – For those dreaming of becoming Creative Directors, participating in competitions can be a powerful launchpad.
✔️ Creativity is key – Without creativity, you are just running a competition of price. Renzo Rosso highlighted that creativity isn’t just about design; it’s the foundation of running a successful brand. To stand out, designers must bring something new to the industry.
✔️ The reality for young designers – Many graduates leave fashion schools with ideas but lack the business knowledge to launch a brand successfully. There is a gap between education and real-world experience, said Sara Sozzani Maino. The best advice? Work in a company first. It helps young creatives understand retail, production, and management before venturing out independently. This gap between fashion education and industry readiness is exactly why I launched Glam Observer Fashion Academy—starting with the Break Into the Fashion Industry course to help fashion students navigate job applications, followed by the Excel for Fashion Course, based on real industry work.
✔️ The power of experience – Whether at a heritage house or a smaller company, working within an existing brand teaches designers how to respect brand DNA, navigate archives, and merge creativity with commercial strategy. When you work with a brand, you have to recognize the heritage and develop it with your creativity.
✔️ Going solo vs. joining a fashion group – The debate on independence vs. being part of a luxury group like LVMH, Kering, or OTB was another of the topics discussed. Being independent allows for creative freedom, but it also requires significant resources to scale globally. On the other hand, being under a major group provides financial backing, supply chain support, and global retail power—but with creative constraints.
Renzo Rosso highlighted a key advantage of fashion groups: collaboration. “When you are part of a group, you have more minds working together.” He emphasized the importance of teamwork in building and scaling a brand, reinforcing that creativity alone isn’t enough—having the right people around you makes all the difference.
What these lessons mean for aspiring fashion designers:
If your goal is to start your own brand, first build experience inside a company. Learn, observe, and refine your skills before taking the leap. If you’re talented, brands will see you. Now you have so many ways of getting noticed thanks to social media.
What are your thoughts?
