Credit: Niccolò Pasqualetti
Milan Fashion Week dedicated to men's collections has just ended and, once again, leather has not gone unnoticed. Indeed, it has confirmed itself as one of the most popular materials of the spring summer 2026 season, declined in all its facets, between experimentation, returns to the origins and new identities.
The warm season has offered the opportunity to decline leather in suggestive versions: Emporio Armani explores its bohemian side, focusing on suede garments decorated with fringes and studs; Dolce & Gabbana plays with exotic textures and shiny surfaces, applying them to jackets, shorts, clutches and belts. Prada, on the other hand, transforms it into a vehicle for the rediscovery of artisanal savoir-faire, between stitching, seals, embossing and weaving that speak the language of the workshop.
But it is not only the big fashion houses that are rewriting the vocabulary of leather. Among the younger brands, Niccolò Pasqualetti explores its sculptural dimension with soft volumes, fluid cuts and perforated surfaces. In London, Martine Rose continues her dialogue with underground communities, proposing patent, embossed and lived-in leathers, rooted in the urban context.
This season demonstrates how leather is increasingly used less following fixed aesthetic patterns and increasingly as a technical material to be modeled. Its versatility makes it a concrete tool for experimenting with new shapes, textures and details. No longer just a symbol of tradition, today leather is a creative device: a material that reflects the vision of those who work with it and helps define the identity of the brand.
