A model presents a creation at the Jo No Fui Fashion Show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Autumn/Winter 2011 in Milan, northern Italy, Feb. 23, 2011. (Xinhua/Wang Qingqin)

A model presents a creation at the Jo No Fui Fashion Show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Autumn/Winter 2011 in Milan, northern Italy, Feb. 23, 2011. (Xinhua/Wang Qingqin)

MILAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Milan Women's Fashion Week kicked off in Milan on Wednesday, showcasing the best of made-in-Italy in the city's most renowned and historic locations.

According to the National Chamber for Italian Fashion, which organizes the week, 72 catwalks and 151 collections are set for the fall/winter show, which runs until March 1.

The fashion week opened on Wednesday with giants Gucci and Roccobarocco. Thursday's catwalks will star Fendi and Prada, while Ferre' and Moschino will be showing on Friday followed by Bottega Veneta on Saturday.

Salvatore Ferragamo and Giorgio Armani will be on the catwalks on Sunday and Monday, while the last day, Tuesday, will be dedicated to newcomers.

All the shows and fashion-related events will be held in Milan' s historic venues, in a new format inaugurated last September with the aim to bring catwalks closer to people and celebrate a culture-shaped made in Italy.

Seven catwalks will take place in a shed with transparent windows located in the heart of Italy's fashion city, in front of Duomo cathedral, the symbol of Milan.

"Our goal is to make fashion a public event which meets the desires of common citizens, who will be able to see what happens in Duomo Square." Mario Boselli, president of the National Chamber for Italian Fashion, told at a press conference.

People will be able to watch models walking to the nearby new Fashion Hub in the 16th century Giureconsulti Palace, which substituted the far-off Gattamelata Fashion Center, as well as follow the catwalks live stream and take part in hundreds of events including street-catwalks, make-up shows, music and food meetings, late-night shopping and exclusive fashion parties.

"In this edition of the fashion week, Italian designers are dreaming of an elegant woman, less opulent than in the past, and extremely feminine and refined," Massimiliano Bizzi, founder and president of "White" fashion show, told Xinhua.

A renowned show for women's fashion in the world, "White" will feature one of the most awaited events of the ongoing fashion week, named "to the first fashion show in a metro train."

"For the first time a running metro train will become the catwalk where top models will display the fall/winter collection of well-known designer Alessandra Marchi," Bizzi said adding that this innovative idea is aimed at impressing young Milanese with its artistic and cultural connotations.

Speaking of the growing success of made-in-Italy in the world despite the recent global economic crisis, he said that its excellent quality is the secret.

"High-quality materials and creative design are the common DNA of Italian brands, whose value is treasured in the country's ancient culture of fashion," Bizzi stressed.

In 2010, Italy's fashion industry grew by 6.5 percent to over 60 billion euros (about 82 billion U.S. dollars), although the turnover was still below the 2007 level, and it would increase to 8 percent this year, according to the National Chamber for Italian Fashion.