After fashion shows, brands often send out a list of celebrity guests—or “VIPs”—who watched on from the front row. Friends of the house and ambassadors, the attendees usually align with the brand’s aesthetic or values. While labels have vastly differing interpretations of “very important” these days, it seems that all of the brands in Milan were on the same page about one guest: Marina Abramović.
While Milan Fashion Week attendees were treated to some truly awe-inspiring clothing during the spring 2025 collections, chances are they also beheld the Serbian artist. Abramović’s fashion week circuit rivals the pros: she hit Fendi, Jil Sander, MM6, Prada, Versace, Ferrari, Ferragamo, and Dolce & Gabbana. She stuck to her sartorial M.O.: long coats, big sunglasses, and neutral tones with pops of red.
Abramović is no stranger to fashion. In 2015, she stepped in as art director for Riccardo Tisci’s spring 2016 collection for Givenchy. Tisci, in turn, made Abramović a custom white peace sign dress for her 2024 Glastonbury performance. The artist, however, does not let her front row status stop her from offering her unbridled critique of the fashion industry. “Fashion is in a state of crisis,” she told Vogue Runway’s José Criales-Unzueta ahead of Glastonbury. “It’s recycling different designers for different brands; everything is about content.” But make no mistake, Abramović has a fondness for fashion: “It’s not wrong to feel empowered, to feel actually good in your clothes. I discovered this and stopped feeling guilty about fashion,” she said.
Hopefully, between the anoraks over eveningwear at Prada and the elevated ballet influence at Ferragamo, Marina Abramović will decree fashion as no longer in crisis mode.