The classic catwalk show is dead.

Italian clothing designer Moncler kicked off Milan Fashion Week 2018 on Tuesday with a cool new move - a big reveal of eight new collections, hidden in silver-clad cave-like spaces inside a warehouse on the outskirts of Milan, which included clothes being hung from the ceiling and models presenting creations from the autumn/winter 2018 collection through projections on giant mirrors (above) rather than worn down a catwalk.

"The concept of the catwalk show doesn't exist any more for us. It is a new way of working from now on," chairman and chief executive Remo Ruffini said. The new strategy, with a collection released to the public each month, is an adaption to the digital age, he said.

With a younger and more fickle clientele whose tastes change at the speed of a social media post, fashion houses are expected to deliver more than two collections a year.

But the timing of placing products in stores is becoming an experimental battlefield, as the labels have to juggle the demand for novelty with the lengthy manufacturing cycles needed to make their clothes.

The Milan Fashion Week will run until Feb 27, with Italy's biggest names in fashion - such as Prada, Armani, Versace, Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana - showcasing their products for autumn and winter 2018/19.

REUTERS