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ITALY – MILANO FASHION WEEK, THE MOST SPECTACULAR OPENING EVER: VOGUE WORLD IN GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II WITH THE SHOW-EVENT SIGNED BY BALICH WONDER STUDIO
On Tuesday, September 22, a parade of top models and international celebrities—from Gigi Hadid to Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, and Alicia Keys, alongside Roberto Bolle, the Accademia della Scala, and the iconic names of Made in Italy.
For one evening, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II ceased to be merely the city’s magnificent salon and transformed into a global stage. On Tuesday, September 22, on the opening day of Milano Fashion Week, the fifth edition of Vogue World took place—the grand format created by Anna Wintour that, after New York, London, Paris, and Los Angeles, arrived in Italy for the very first time.
Behind a spectacular machine of these proportions stands an Italian signature accustomed to massive global events: Marco Balich and Balich Wonder Studio, appointed as executive producers alongside Marie Julie Craeymeersch of Mode and the Moon. It is a responsibility that places Vogue World Milano within the portfolio of major international productions for Balich’s firm, which is also set to play a leading role in the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
The beating heart of the show was Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, chosen by Vogue as a symbolic setting representing the relationship between Milan, fashion, craftsmanship, and innovation.
The formula of Vogue World is not that of a traditional runway show. It is, rather, a grand narrative spectacle in which fashion, music, dance, cinema, pop culture, and live performance coexist within a single storyline.
The theme chosen for the Milanese edition was “Where The Future Is Made By The Hand”—a journey exploring the relationship between Italian artisanal heritage and future technologies, with artificial intelligence serving as one of the major themes of the evening.
The show was structured across five acts: from the artisanal and industrial revolutions to Made in Italy, moving into the age of artificial intelligence, and culminating in the so-called Imagination Revolution. This narrative arc connected the tradition of Italian workshops with contemporary technological transformation.
Taking to the stage were some of the most influential Italian fashion houses, showcasing creations that crossed different eras and artistic languages. Prada, Armani, Versace, Ferragamo, and Gucci were among the brands involved in building a narrative that centered human craftsmanship as its core element.
Gigi Hadid opened the runway, followed by different generations of top models including Vittoria Ceretti, Mariacarla Boscono, Alex Consani, Amelia Gray, Helena Christensen, Irina Shayk, and many others.
However, Vogue World is also about pure entertainment and stardom. Among the evening’s key figures were Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, MGK, Madelyn Cline, Madelaine Petsch, and Iris Law. Alicia Keys closed the show with a musical performance, delivering her rendition of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.”
One of the most visually stunning moments was dedicated to Roberto Bolle. The dancer and his company performed through the Galleria to the notes of La Traviata, reinterpreted for the occasion by choreographer Laccio. The costumes, designed by Rocco Iannone for Ferrari, represented another intersection of fashion, design, movement, and Italian manufacturing.
It was precisely this cross-disciplinary fusion that characterized the entire evening: Vogue World did not merely aim to display garments, but to build a genuine urban spectacle around fashion.
While the runway drew international models, performers, and stars, the front row served as a snapshot of the contemporary Italian fashion industry. Attendees included Miuccia Prada, Raf Simons, Donatella Versace, Alessandro Michele, Demna, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Francesco Risso, and Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, alongside numerous prominent figures from the global fashion system.
The red carpet also featured stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Monica Bellucci, Dakota Johnson, Naomi Campbell, and Pamela Anderson, helping transform the Galleria into a global runway. Vogue Italia gathered 93 images in its dedicated gallery highlighting the guests and looks of the evening.
It is within this complex production setup that the work of Marco Balich and Balich Wonder Studio takes center stage. Executive production represents one of the crucial pillars of an event that had to seamlessly orchestrate fashion, performance, dance, music, set design, lighting, broadcasting, and complex logistics in the very heart of Milan.
The creative team was extensive: Juan Costa Paz served as creative director; Lady Amanda Harlech led fashion direction; Judith Clark acted as show curator; and Marie Julie Craeymeersch of Mode and the Moon managed executive production alongside Balich and Balich Wonder Studio.
This distinction is key: Vogue World originates from the editorial vision of Vogue and Anna Wintour, while Balich stands among the primary leaders of its production and staging execution.
The Milanese event was livestreamed worldwide. For Vogue, this marks the fifth installment of a format introduced in 2022 that has progressively evolved into one of the most spectacular fixtures on the international fashion calendar.
The choice of Milan is no coincidence. The city was framed as a place where heritage, industry, craftsmanship, and innovation naturally coexist. Meanwhile, the Galleria—positioned between the Duomo and the Teatro alla Scala—provided a setting that is almost impossible to replicate.
Alongside its entertainment value, Vogue World Milano also carried a philanthropic mission. The fundraising tied to the event is dedicated to the redevelopment of the Quarto Oggiaro Library in the northwestern area of the city, with the goal of transforming it into a contemporary cultural hub focused on fashion, music, art, and social innovation. The figures announced across different planning phases reached approximately 2.65 million euros for the project.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Vogue World Milano is its hybrid nature. It was not simply a runway show, nor a concert, nor a ceremony, nor merely a high-society gala. It operated as a grand theatrical apparatus in which Vogue told the story of Made in Italy through the lens of craftsmanship and artificial intelligence, while the production transformed one of Milan’s most iconic landmarks into a covered open-air theater.
In this intricate endeavor, Balich Wonder Studio played a central role on the executive production front, bringing to Vogue World its extensive expertise in large-scale international events.
For one night, the Galleria became the ultimate bridge between the world of fashion and the realm of mega-events—with Milan, once again, firmly at the center of the world stage.