A race of models in a stadium: The Avavav fashion show in Milan 

Swedish brand Avavav, which is collaborating with Adidas this season, organized an incredible fashion show in the form of a model race in a Milan stadium. It was a truly unique way for fashion to make us (re)experience the excitement of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games!

It’s a wild and thrilling race! Some models are racing, while others are treading water. Some have traces of blood on their clothes, while one is so engrossed in her phone call that she doesn’t care what’s going on and is determined to finish it! The incredible Swedish brand, based in Florence, made a splash at its Milan Spring Summer 2025 fashion show, held on September 22. This season, it staged its models in a stadium, playing on the nostalgia for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games that seems to have taken hold of everyone, including the fashion world. It was a truly inspiring and creative show!

The label founded by the wonderfully eccentric Johanna Blom and Beate Karlsson made the most of Fashion Week to unveil an amazing collaboration with Adidas. From cropped-top-style tracksuit tops to three-stripe caps that become laces that fall over the face to giant three-fingered mittens, the creations are bold and playful, reinterpreting the codes of the sports equipment manufacturer in a fresh and contemporary way.

This isn’t the first time the brand has put on a spectacular show of its clothes, and it’s always a treat to see what they’ll do next! Guests at this show received an energy drink and a race number indicating their place, which was a great way of making sure everyone was involved. Last season, they were given garbage to throw at the models parading down the catwalk, which was a brilliant way of denouncing the easy negative comments to which designers are regularly subjected. In this Milan stadium, it was a gentler message that got through, showing the values of sport, difference, bravery, and a bit of nerve, too—and it was a great show!