Spotted: Milanesi a Milano – When Street Style Becomes Iconic
Born in 2020 during a moment of forced pause, Milanesi a Milano quickly captured the hearts of fashion lovers and beyond. Created by a group of women with the goal of bringing hidden beauty back to the forefront of everyday life, this project has democratized Milanese fashion by capturing the authentic essence of outfits worn by people on the streets. Today, with nearly 150k followers and collaborations with multiple luxury fashion brands, Milanesi a Milano has become a go-to source of inspiration for those looking for true street style. During this Fashion Week, they’ll be our eyes on the streets of Milan, spotting and sharing the coolest looks on our profile... so don’t forget to follow us on Instagram! But before diving into the hustle and bustle of Fashion Week, we spoke with the team to learn more about their journey, their inspirations, and what the future holds for this ever-evolving platform.
Hi MaM team! Could you tell us more about the Milanesi a Milano project? How did the idea come about, and what inspired you to create this platform and community?
Milanesi a Milano was born in 2020 during the pandemic. Looking back, it’s clear what motivated us to create the page: a desire to rediscover beauty. Beauty, in our case, meant joy for life and the longing to return to the streets to watch people walking by in their incredible outfits. That’s exactly where MaM was born—on the streets—because that’s where the magic happens.
Your project started almost as a fun experiment but quickly captured the public’s attention. Today, your Instagram page boasts nearly 150k followers and major collaborations, including with Vogue, Gucci, and Loro Piana. What do you think has been the key factor behind your success?
It wasn’t just one factor but a combination of many. From the start, we gave ourselves a clear structure, with each of us playing a specific role. However, the key to reaching a broad audience lies in something else entirely: from day one, our goal has been to create authentic content that everyone could relate to. Our greatest strength is the international community that embraces and supports us. Many people follow us from all over the world, not just Italy, and we maintain a continuous dialogue with them, actively involving them in our events.
One of the core elements of your project is democratizing fashion by offering a real, unfiltered view of what people wear on the streets. How do the looks you capture in Milan reflect the authenticity and essence of Milanese fashion?
High fashion creates dreams, and for that reason, it belongs to a somewhat unattainable, dreamlike sphere. However, it’s equally important to bring all the beauty that exists on the streets back to reality. Milanese fashion is beautiful because it’s diverse, just like the world itself. And Milan reflects that. MaM captures the authenticity and essence of Milanese fashion because the true stars of our content are the citizens of Milan, photographed in their daily lives through incognito eyes. Every day, we’re captivated by incredible outfits and remarkable personalities. There’s so much poetry in our cool hunting.
In your opinion, what are the defining elements of Milanese style? And what’s the quintessential look for a Milanese man or woman?
Milanese style is clean and sophisticated. The people here rarely follow trends; their style comes from a confidence and attitude that’s hard to imitate. That’s why a Milanese wardrobe consists of a few key pieces, but they’re always of excellent quality or inherited. For women, it’s a great pair of smooth leather loafers, perfectly cut jeans, cashmere sweaters, blazers for any occasion, and silk scarves worn around the neck or tied to a bag. For men, it’s quite similar. Some Milanese add a touch of flair with brightly colored socks—red or green.
Milan has always been considered a fashion capital. Is there a particular neighborhood or area of the city that inspires you for its variety and creativity in the outfits you spot?
Fashion in Milan generates about €20 million in annual revenue, making it a daily staple for the people here. Our favorite neighborhood is undoubtedly Brera. It’s where everything began, and it’s where we continue to find inspiration for our page every day.
Looking ahead, how do you envision the evolution of Milanesi a Milano? Are there any new goals or directions you’d like to explore?
For us, the future is already intertwined with the present—we’re living it now. We aim to become a real point of reference not only for our community but also for emerging brands. Through pop-ups and widespread events, we give visibility to beautiful projects that we hold dear. Partnerships and editorial work will continue to be at the core of our activities.
With Fashion Week just around the corner, what are your expectations for this edition?
We expect a lot of exciting things from this September’s Fashion Week. We’re involved in numerous events, shows, and parties, and we’ll be your eyes on the ground.
Lastly, can you share some quintessential Milanese spots to navigate Fashion Week in style?
The best advice we can give is to book everything well in advance—restaurants, taxis, events, everything!
Where to eat: Trattoria Milanese, Torre di Pisa, Al Vecchio Porco, Silvano Vini & Cibi.
Where to drink: Chiosco Mentana, Verzeratt, LùBarino.
Where to shop: Via Santa Marta at Wait and See, Mappamundi Milano, Folkloore, Sunny H… and, of course, online at TheCorner.com!