Digital Couture Summit Successfully Opened MFW SS’25

Digital Couture Summit hosted by Nikki Cikaluk and Olska Green returned to Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025 with resounding success, setting new benchmarks in fashion innovation and digital transformation.

The exclusive, invite-only event in front of the famous Dolce & Gabbana Martini Club, brought together leaders from Lacoste, Lanvin Group, Vogue Business, Moncler, Calvin Klein, Emporio Armani, Condé Nast Italia and Dolce&Gabbana. 

Digital Couture Summit MFW SS’25 DPP panel w/ Mihailo Bjelic of Polygon, Nikki Cikaluk of Digital Couture Summit, Erin Surprenant of Laxcoste, Alexandra Maslova of SMART DPP and Felipe Fiallo of Fiallo. Photo by Vasyl Kalynchuk.

“We are proud to welcome our friends, sponsors and clients in the fashion space to the highly-curated and secured environment that we created together with you back in 2023 as the first digital fashion event during the traditional Milan Fashion Week.” – with these words, Nikki Cikaluk, Co-Founder of Digital Couture summit, started the opening speech to kick off MFW SS’25 Edition in front of hundreds of attendees. 

For the third women’s fashion week in a row, Digital Couture Summit offers a dynamic exploration of how fashion’s most influential players are embracing digitalisation in runway shows, consumer relationships and new collections creation. This September attendees were immersed in thought-provoking discussions, live showcases, and groundbreaking announcements that reflected the incredible potential of digital fashion in AI and DPPs verticals.

Olska Green & Nikki Cikaluk with the opening speech for Digital Couture Summit MFW SS’25. Photo by Vasyl Kalynchuk.

The luxury evening started with a captivated fireside chat between Marta Pettenuzzo, Head of Creative Strategy at Condé Nast Italia, and Nikki Cikaluk to dive into how luxury houses are implementing digital solutions and predicting the next wave of innovation in the fashion space. Marta’s forecast for the future of digital couture sets the perfect tone for the evening.

Keynote discussions throughout the event highlighted the evolving consumer habits in luxury, the transformative role of AI, and the industry’s move towards digital product passports. Kirsty McGregor, Senior European Editor at Vogue Business, provided a fascinating deep dive into how technology is reshaping consumer preferences with a focus on AI technology use in modern content creation and consumers’ perception of brand gamification.

Kirsty also highlighted the importance of the storytelling element in 2024 in relationship development between consumers and brands. Meanwhile, Lanvin Group’s Director of Digital Transformation engaged with Keiron Birch (ex-Creative Director of Calvin Klein) in a dynamic conversation about mass education around AI technology and provided examples of how brands start using the technology internally, bit by bit.

The event’s highlight was the much-anticipated panel discussion on DPPs, featuring Erin Surprenant of Lacoste, Felipe Fiallo of Fiallo, Alexandra Maslova of SMART DPP and Co-Founder of Polygon Mihailo Bjelic. The discussion brought to light how digital product passports are poised to revolutionise transparency and sustainability in luxury, with real-world examples of successful integrations.

A key moment came when Alexandra Maslova, Co-Founder and CEO of SMART DPP, unveiled the official launch of SMART DPP, the first-of-its-kind multi-chain digital product passport SaaS integrated into the Polygon PoS with the help of the Kavana Lab, a company incubated within the Polygon ecosystem working in fashion, music, sports, and video entertainment.

Digital Couture Summit MFW SS’25 guests. Photo by Vasyl Kalynchuk.

Throughout the evening guests were enchanted by Fiallo’s SS’25 Collection Showcase, which unveiled revolutionary sneaker designs created fully in 3D. Hermetik introduced their limited-edition Web3-enhanced collection, positioning themselves as leaders in “slow disruptive fashion” and paving the path for other web3 creators. Meanwhile, the AI Mirror try-on technology announcement by Genera, alongside a mixed-reality runway show presented by Metagate, allowed guests to interact with the future of digital fashion.

The glamorous atmosphere was complemented by exclusive aperitifs from Digital Couture Summit’s sponsors VETZ and Kinley of Coca-Cola Italia, whose blends added a contemporary twist to the event’s networking part perfectly paired with the live DJ performance. The event culminated in an exclusive Gala hosted by SMART DPP, celebrating the launch of the brand and showcasing its latest partnerships.

“We are truly privileged to have the best from the fashion, luxury and tech industry coming to support us and create this unforgettable atmosphere together at Digital Couture Summit in Milan year after year. Together we are redefining the limits of digital luxury space and building the future of fashion. A new benchmark has been set across the industry and we cannot wait to see all of you in February 2025.” – Nikki Cikaluk and Olska Green about MFW SS’25 Edition.

About Digital Couture Summit

Founded in 2023, Digital Couture Summit is an immersive fashion event that connects luxury houses with digital couture. Co-founded by Nikki Cikaluk, fashion advisor and fashion stage curator, and Olska Green, fashion AI educator and founder of sustainable phygital fashion brand Ecoolska, Digital Couture Summit made history as the first digital fashion event to be held during traditional Milan Fashion Week. Through thought-provoking discussions and cutting-edge showcases, the summit brings together pioneers from the worlds of fashion, technology, and Web3, reimagining the future of the luxury industry.

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