Liberatore puts models on emergency escape, drawing attention to global chaos

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MILAN (AP) — Models descended an emergency escape staircase to access the Francesca Liberatore runway during Milan Fashion Week on Sunday, as if to beckon the world to find a route away from the desperate human suffering around the globe.

Liberatore comes at the runway with an artistic sensibility, but due to global turmoil she said she didn‘t want to turn her Spring-Summer 2026 collection into a warm-weather narrative.

Instead, she expressed her growing concern through the staging and the soundtrack featuring two Tears for Fears songs: “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and ‘‘Mad World,'' sung by the Italian singer Elisa.

Liberatore said she wanted to contribute to the conversation by presenting a collection that used a very specific fashion language. The result were decidedly wearable and youthful looks.

“Everyone who is living in their golden world needs to open their eyes. ... We need to stop and pay attention to this situation,″ she said backstage.

Out of deference to the chaos, Liberatore approached the fashion with precise codes. The show opened with a series of tailored white jackets in luxurious, textured fabrics. The silhouette loosened with bodices that wrapped protectively before flowing into long A-line skirts. Relaxed tunics fell over skirts, and strappy sundresses were wide and loose, with a layer of rich brocade peeking out of the hem.

The looks were finished with headphones in collaboration with Sony, connecting with a young audience.

Models at the end carried black roses, which they placed at the foot of the photo podium.

Liberatore wanted the audience members to assign their own meaning. But for it, it was a combination of distress over ongoing wars and the luxury sector's crisis as it fails to connect with the younger generation.

The floral gesture also was a tribute to the late Giorgio Armani, who put Milan on the global fashion map.

Liberatore and Armani have long anchored the last day of Milan Fashion Week. On Sunday night, a gala show honoring Armani‘s 50 years as a designer will be held at the Brera Art Gallery, just weeks after his death at the age of 91.