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Giorgio Armani held its runway show at Milan Fashion Week on 27 December 2022 at 3.00 p.m. CEST. Showcasing the Fall Winter 2022-23, Giorgio Armani opened the show at Borgonuovo with a voice reading the statement,
“My decision not to use any music in the show was made as a sign of respect to the people affected by the evolving tragedy.”
On that note, Giorgio Armani was one of the first brands to address the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia at Milan Fashion Week. As announced, the brand completed the rest of the runway show without any background music, which is commonly a staple for the shows.
Since the onset of the Ukraine-Russia crisis, protestors have taken to the streets of Milan in the middle of Milan Fashion Week. The brand hasn't been vocal regarding the ongoing conflict. Dima Levenko, the founder of Ukrainian outerwear label IENKI IENKI, spoke about this issue in an interview with GQ,
“This is the thing, nobody cares. I’m here with some other Ukrainian people, and we’re meeting with each other, and when we go out in the middle of Fashion Week; it’s like we’re in a capsule.”
Fans' reaction to the silent fashion show by Giorgio Armani
As silence fell on the grounds of the runway show at Via Borgonuovo, a sense of sadness and solemnity filled the room.
In an email interview with Vogue, designer Armani talked about the show,
“What could I do? I could only signal my heartbeat for the tragedy through the silence. I didn't want show music. The best thing is to give a signal that we’re not happy, to recognize [that] something disturbing is happening.”
Armani's silent fashion show spoke louder than the music ever could, and fans were impressed with the show and its message. One of the patrons commented,
"Finally Someone in the fashion industry realized there is a War going on! There are moments when we need to "chase" Views, Likes & Sales... And Critical moments (like this one) when we need to stand up to protect Democracy & Human Rights!"
Many more fans appreciated the gesture made by Giorgio Armani and felt grateful for the show.
At high-end fashion shows, one is accustomed to seeing models strolling down the runway with powerful music. However, Giorgio Armani's silence was louder than bombastic beats, since all the fans were thrilled to see someone from the fashion industry taking a stand and accepting the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Fans were extremely thankful for Armani's move at the Milan fashion show and expressed their gratitude by commenting under an Instagram post on the official handle of the label.
Fans also showed support for the aggrieved by commenting with Ukraine's flag emojis and blue/yellow heart emojis under the post.
