ON THE SCHEDULE: This busy week in Milan will feature not only fashion week, but also the inaugural RLC Fashion Summit.

RLC (Retail Leaders Circle) Global Forum is the invitation-only global platform for retail dialogues, insights and innovation and a partner of White Milano. The platform will host the summit dubbed “Forces of Tomorrow” on Thursday at Mudec (Museo delle culture). 

The event’s key topics will be new geographies and demand flows, AI tech, supply chain resilience and value and influence in a high-tech economy. Among the 200 attendees, chief executive officers and presidents of global brands, senior leaders in retail, luxury and beauty and investment and private equity executives are expected.

“By holding the event here, we unite two essential forces: the creative energy of the shows and the strategic thinking required to drive growth in complex, unpredictable times. The summit brings together leaders who rarely meet in the same space: global fashion and brand executives, major retailers, investors, policymakers, and technology innovators. Having everyone in the same room creates the opportunity for collaboration that usually happens in fragments,” said Panos Linardos, the chairman of RLC Global Forum. 

Talking about the current situation, Linardos said that this time can be a catalyst for change and that one key focus would be the shifting growth map, noting that “while Europe and the U.S. remain important, momentum is building in the Global South, the Gulf, Southeast Asia, and Latin America,  markets with young populations, rising wealth, and governments investing heavily in tourism, infrastructure, and retail ecosystems.”

Discussing the future of the summit, he said that the goal is to make Milan the annual hub for strategic dialogue in fashion. He explained that while the runways celebrate creativity, the summit focuses on the decisions and alliances that will shape what happens next by giving leaders a clearer sense of priorities, partnerships and concrete steps.