Why has Ralph Lauren decided to show in Milan after 20 years? The answer is less romantic and more strategic. The return of the quintessential American brand to the Milan calendar is not a symbolic gesture or a concession to nostalgia, but a move perfectly aligned with the historic moment the brand and the global menswear market are experiencing.
It is always good news when an international name decides to bolster Milan Fashion Week, especially the men’s show, which over the seasons has been shrinking in both duration and creative density. However, Ralph Lauren’s presence on the January calendar has surprised even insiders, as the brand not only usually shows in the United States, in settings linked to the myth of New York, but also had not organised a show in Milan since 2002. More than two decades later, the context has changed radically, and so have the group’s priorities.
At a time when many big European names are crossing the Atlantic in search of visibility and growth, it is Ralph Lauren who has decided to look to Europe and do so from Milan. The main reasons revolve around three very specific factors: the symbolic and media weight of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, the opportunity to strengthen its dominance in the European middle market for accessible luxury, and the extraordinary commercial momentum the brand has been experiencing for several seasons.
The link with the Olympics is central. For almost twenty years, Ralph Lauren has been an official partner of Team USA and has turned the opening and closing ceremonies into a powerful exercise in global storytelling. In recent weeks, an image from the lookbook of the new Team USA collection has been circulating widely on social media, featuring a leather bomber jacket with a fur collar, embroidered with the American flag and the Olympic rings, a new garment that looks like it came straight out of a cult vintage shop.
Más allá de las cifras de venta, ese bomber funciona como detonante narrativo: reactiva el deseo, reintroduce el imaginario olímpico y empuja al consumidor a explorar el resto del universo Ralph Lauren. El desfile de enero se insertará, además, en la Cultural Olympiad, el programa multidisciplinar que acompañará a los Juegos y que ya cuenta con activaciones de otros brand italianos, reforzando el vínculo entre Milán, moda, deporte y cultura.
Beyond sales figures, this bomber jacket acts as a narrative trigger: it reactivates desire, reintroduces the Olympic imagery and encourages consumers to explore the rest of the Ralph Lauren universe. The January fashion show will also be part of the Cultural Olympiad, the multidisciplinary programme accompanying the Games, which already features activations from other Italian brands, reinforcing the link between Milan, fashion, sport and culture.
But the Olympic factor alone does not explain the choice of Milan. Ralph Lauren is one of the few groups that has managed to build a truly cross-cutting brand architecture without eroding its prestige. The accessible luxury segment, dominated by Polo Ralph Lauren, coexists with the sartorial luxury of Purple Label, the women’s lines Ralph Lauren Collection and Lauren by Ralph Lauren, the heritage universe of RRL and the premium activewear of RLX.
In this system, Milan is not only a symbolic capital, but also a key operational hub. The city boutique, with its café and weekend brunch, serves as a real attraction, while the brand’s presence in Italy and Europe is widespread, solid and highly profitable. Holding a fashion show during a less congested fashion week than Paris or New York allows the group to maximise media and commercial visibility at a particularly strategic time of year.
This move also crowns a period of exceptional financial results. Against a backdrop of general slowdown in the sector, Ralph Lauren has been one of the few brands outside the ultra-luxury segment of Hermès and Brunello Cucinelli to grow strongly. The fiscal year ending in March 2025 reached $7.1 billion in revenue, with double-digit growth in the winter season. The expansion of the direct-to-consumer model has boosted margins and led to a 60 per cent increase in the stock price so far this year.
The first quarter of fiscal year 2026, between April and August, saw £1.7 billion in revenue, a 14 per cent year-on-year increase, margins up 16.6 per cent and net profit up 40 per cent. With reinforced inventories ahead of the Olympics and revised forecasts on the rise, the Milan fashion show presents a clear statement: Ralph Lauren is not defending its position, it is expanding it.
After more than twenty years, the return to Milan is not a nod to the past, but a commitment to the future. A move that consolidates the brand as one of the few big names in accessible luxury capable of growing in an uncertain market and confirms that, for Ralph Lauren, fashion remains what it has always been: a powerful cultural narrative with truly global ambition.
Sigue toda la información de HIGHXTAR desde Facebook, Twitter o Instagram
You may also like...
