PERFORMING MU
FALL-WINTER 2026/27 TRENDS
The body represents both anatomy and strength. It creates absolute harmony between volumes and surfaces that sublimate and expand through movement within a space. Milano Unica Performing bases its inspiration for the Fall-Winter 2026/27 collections on its analysis of the interaction between the body, space and art.
The catchword is “Performance” which, when referring to the body, indicates physical performance and its potential, while in the creative field it alludes to artistic forms of expression. In relation to fabrics, it is used to describe their technical and transformative properties and their capacity for maximum results.
Performance is therefore intended as much as an expression of the body's dynamic nature, a powerful and perfect machine, as it is an act of artistic creation and a byword for the functional nature of the material-fabric.
Performance responds to the sector’s transformation, with a call for greater concrete results, transcending mere aesthetics to meet the new demands for comfort, dynamism and practicality. This is achieved through experimentation with materials made possible by new technologies, combined with a hybridisation of the forms of expression of the various arts.
PERFORMING MU therefore endeavours to identify new materials, develop new objects, and come up with original ideas for creating products in the now, or rather, focused on the future.
«Historically, fashion has always responded to the needs of the body in movement and to the performing arts, this is because the creation of fabrics is closely connected on a practical level to the dynamic physicality of the human form and, on an aesthetic level, to artistic influences.
With PERFORMING MU, we are witnessing a paradigm shift, where the body, space, movement and the performing arts become an essential part of the study behind fabrics and accessories, that is to say, the very essence of design», explained Stefano Fadda, art director of Milano Unica.
Starting from these concepts, PERFORMING MU's analysis for Fall-Winter 2026/27 has been structured around the following three themes:
- Performing Space
- Performing Bodies
- Performing Arts
Performing Space
Here Space refers to the Cosmos: the sci-fi inspiration, from the world of science fiction, drives experimentation with innovative materials that use technology to focus on themes concerning protection and transformation, creating a bridge between the human body and the universe. Imagining space as a galaxy means conceiving it as a living, changing, expanding environment, characterised by energy, gravity, light, shadow and matter that tests our perception.
These are futuristic materials, inspired by space and science fiction: metallic and reflective fabrics and accessories, starting with Mylar (used in NASA spacesuits), holographic laminations and mirrored surfaces that capture the light. These include nanotextiles and self-regenerating materials, or rather fibres that can regenerate and adapt to body temperatures; lightweight and resistant fabrics like Aerogel, one of the lightest materials in existence; mutating garments and smart textiles, garments that change shape through electrical impulses, fabrics that emit light, and materials that simulate the skin of alien organisms.
Colours are expressed across a cosmic universe of cool tones: an intense blue and a sophisticated wintery shade of teal are accented with black, brightened by touches of mineral hues, embellished with a matte silver coating and softened by a creamy tint.
Performing Bodies
The body is seen as a malleable material, open to experimentation with new identities and shapes. Fashion, technology and contemporary art amplify this vision of the body through distortion and exaggeration, creating altered, disproportionate or hybrid silhouettes, thus celebrating the aesthetics of empowerment. Here references point to bodybuilding and muscle power as an aesthetic code, without forgetting, ultimately, the use of technology and ergonomic materials to create structures capable of modifying the way the body interacts with its physical space. The idea of the body as a living sculpture reigns supreme, augmented by architectural configurations that challenge conventional proportions, creating shapes that appear mutated or post-human.
Ergonomic materials are used, with padding designed to intensify volumes and proportions: padded fabrics and accessories create hollow spaces between the body and the garment, shaping new silhouettes. Modular constructions use textiles for coats, jackets and trousers that resemble inflatable structures or outer human skeletons. Distorted proportions feature oversized shoulders, widened hips, and garments that change shape according to how its wearer moves.
The colour palette has a rich, decorative and luxurious quality, enhanced by designs and nuances. Pink, indispensable and seen here in an aphrodisiac version, is combined with shades of candied red fruit, providing a contrast with more classic hues.
Performing Arts
Buying a piece of clothing involves more than just choosing an item to wear; it is a performative act through which body, movement, the surrounding space and materials interact to create new experiences. This is why transforming fabrics and accessories, and therefore clothing, into a dynamic, expressive and multi-sensory artistic language is important.
The aim is to arouse emotions, shifting our approach to fashion as a mere commercial product towards an artistic experience, where fabric can become a vehicle through which to tell a story. Fabric becomes a second skin, changing the way the physicality of the body is perceived, to inspire amazement and wonder. Body and fabric are transformed through movement in this theme, creating new perceptive and sensorial experiences: fabrics become part of a visual and tactile performance, a means to explore the connection between the body and its surrounding space. There is a strong connection with theatre, dance and contemporary art.
Our research focuses on performance materials: interactive fabrics, where materials change colour and react to movement and temperature; fluid structures, where materials flow naturally, creating optical and volumetric effects; combinations of sculpture and digital art, where garments become dynamic objects that exist both physically and in virtual environments.
Bright, ultra-pigmented colours, infused with bold yellow and alabaster white, punctuated with deep, dark purple, create a new, fun, casual aesthetic to create a universal range for multiple uses, that can be expressed with colour-blocking, using accent colours or through design combinations, both for clothing and accessories.
For additional information:
Milano Unica Press Office tel. +39 02 6610 1105
Alessandra Ardenzi mob. +39 335 677 46 20
Daniela Scardi mob. +39 3661964979
