Love it or hate it Milan is, with Rome, the most important city in the country. For many, it is the real capital of Italy, because it is its main economic and commercial center. Milan is also, needless to say, the trendiest city we have because it’s our capitale della moda, as well as one of the fashion capitals of the world. But how did it gain the title and why?

These days, fashion is one of the main sources of income and wealth for this Lombardy city: according to recent data gathered by the Camera di Commercio di Milano, Monza e Lodi, the two Milanese fashion weeks, one in February and one in September, make some 350 million euro (with today’s rate, that’s pretty much the same in dollars) in revenue, and involve more than 135,000 people and 18,000 businesses.