Matteo Renzi has been mocked for his personal fashion foibles in the past, but the Italian prime minister will nevertheless brave the tough crowd of Milan fashion week later this month, becoming the first premier to open the event.

While Renzi is not expected to take a spin down the runway, the move is seen as an important show of support for the beleaguered industry, which has been hit by a slowdown in the Middle East and Russia and a drop-off in the Chinese market.

Renzi’s decision also reflects the image he consistently seeks to portray of himself: that he is a dynamic leader and the face of a modernising Italy. Indeed, he has often used fashion to try to make a statement – from the leather jacket he donned for Chi magazine while he was mayor of Florence (some said he was channelling the Fonz) to the “jeans and no-tie” look that became a symbol of his desire to shake-up the political establishment.

Last year Renzi was criticised by the Corriere della Sera newspaper for wearing trousers that were far too short, exposing nearly two inches of his blue socks, at a meeting with the president of the Philippines. In 2014 he was given some fashion advice by fellow Italian Giorgio Armani, who reportedly said Renzi – whom he described as “adorable” – ought to wear ties and control his hand gestures, given his status.

Italy’s economic development minister Carlo Calenda criticised Italian politicians last year for their snobbish attitude toward the fashion industry, which he said was often ignored by the political class despite its cultural importance.

Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffè, a business professor at the Bocconi school of management in Milan, said on Wednesday: “Matteo Renzi needs a bit of refurbishment as far as his personal style. But his personal presence at the event helps a lot in terms of bringing visibility to a national industry. The fault is on those who never did it before.”

He added: “He is also borrowing something aesthetically. Being associated with fashion gives a sense of youth, modernity, of a certain sensibility, which other prime ministers – think of [Romano] Prodi or Mario Monti with his coat from the 70s – [did not have]. They were the anti-fashion figures. It wouldn’t fit their personality.”

Milan fashion week begins on 24 February. Renzi’s office declined to reveal what he would wear to the event.