The creative ingenuity of Polimoda’s final-year students was in full force last night at Carpe Noctem, Final Graduation Show 2022. Held in the Torrigiani Gardens, more than 100 looks from 24 collections by 16 nationalities were presented to fashion professionals, celebrities and the international press.
New life was also brought to a beloved setting as Polimoda flexed its muscles verging on a fashion house that ventures beyond its vocation as a school. The elegant runway wound its way around the verdant gardens framed by the age-old trees as targeted lighting illuminated the young designers’ conceptual, provocative and experimental looks. Sartorial sculptures blended futuristic and traditional materials in a mood that varied from Marie Antoinette to Star Wars, causing a stir among even the most indifferent of onlookers. Special attention was paid to recycling and upcycling, giving new life to existing fabrics and garments, such as military uniforms and old sheets, 1990s bomber jackets and 1950s silk slips. Technical fabrics, such as on-trend sequins, lame and high-visibility, were combined with natural textiles. Vibrant colours, prints and embroidery were all in abundance in a fluid blend of menswear, womenswear and genderless designs in the style of the new generation.
The best students from the Fashion Design and Fashion Design Management courses, in addition to a selection of students studying a Master in Collection Design and Creative Direction, were chosen for the show by the school’s faculties, Massimiliano Giornetti and Caroline Issa, CEO and fashion director of Tank magazine.
The best students from the Fashion Design and Fashion Design Management courses, in addition to a selection of students studying a Master in Collection Design and Creative Direction, were chosen for the show by the school’s faculties, Massimiliano Giornetti and Caroline Issa, CEO and fashion director of Tank magazine
The students who showed their designs were Julian Cerro (Italy), Veronika Danyliv (Ukraine), Eros Fengqin Yue (China), Hikari Morigami (Japan), Julie Daron (France), Margherita Bachis (Italy), Ana Valentina Navarro (Bolivia), Viola Ruzza (Italy), Sam Lewis (Australia), Sofia Ke (China), Federico Di Nisio (Italy), Maria Isabel Arce Blanco (Mexico), Saania Singla (India), Edoardo Terribilini (Switzerland), Leonardo Brini (Italy), Edoardo Cavrini (Italy), Ayana Horai (Japan), Deng Shiyuan (China), Ana Rita Nogueira Da Souza (Portugal), Amelia Walker (UK), Mohanad Aglan (Egypt), Ian Mcdonald (USA), Fernanda Castro (Peru) and Marija Yankovich (Serbia).
“Carpe Noctem is an invitation to seize the stars before nightfall,” remarked Massimiliano Giornetti, director of Polimoda. “This metaphor urges the pure talent of a rising star to be identified before he or she becomes establishes in the world of fashion. It is also an exhortation to reflect on the social changes associated with the historic moment that we are experiencing, to the Gen Z’s drive to bring new values to the industry, in pursuit of a different fashion. The collections include the issues under discussion in the industry and which are touching matters for our students: diversity, inclusion and sustainability, as well as extremely personal contents.”
