A GOLDEN SEPTEMBER:
OUR STUDENTS WIN MITTELMODA AND MILANO MODA GRADUATE

On September 20th, Yonglin Xue and Maria Enrica Affinita, Accademia Costume & Moda students’, were two of the winners of the prestigious International Lab of Mittelmoda – Fashion Award 2022 the well-known fashion competition at international level, reserved to fashion designers and fashion design students of Art & Design colleges from all over the world.
This year the Mittelmoda was held at MICAM Milano, the leading international exhibition for the footwear industry:25 finalists were chosen among more than 600 portfolios of emerging designer coming from the best schools in the world.

Our student YongLin Xue, of the BA course in Costume & Fashion Design, won the “Italian Leather: a world of creativity and sustainability” prize awarded by Fulvia Bacchi, CEO of Lineapelle (Leading International Tradefair dedicated to LEathergoods). Xues’ collection is inspired by origami – the memory of childhood. A piece of paper can be transformed into different objects through the artisan’s craft. In this collection, she used a lot of Electric Blue and Saffron Yellow, both of which contrast strongly, as if injecting an active soul into a silent adult body. In the construction, Xue has slit the “whole” into different “parts”, and after sewing, formed several zigzag-shaped spaces to present the visual effect of origami.

Maria Enrica Affinita, student of BA course in Costume & Fashion Design, won the “Textile & Materials” prize, awarded by Alessandro Barberis Canonico, President of Milanounica (Leading International Tradefair dedicated to Textiles/Fabrics). Maria Enrica collection, “Preferirei del verde tutto intorno” (directly translated: “I would prefer some green all around”) narrates the story of a girl born in the countryside, who moved way too early to the city that will soon enough start being too tight for her. Due to the desire to escape from the city, she approaches the world of punk, being fascinated by their aggressive and eccentric look that will serve her as inspiration for her personal “revolution”. From the punk style, she borrows the use of leather, but choosing a vegan option, coming from cacti, and put it near light fabrics, as organdy, and rough textiles, as raphia, as a memory of her beloved countryside. This is the only way she allowed to evade the grey city, coloring it with the shades of nature and choosing eco-sustainable fabrics, to give the city some of the nature that used to be hers.

Sofia Masciotta, our student of the course in BA course in Costume & Fashion Design, won the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana Award at the eighth edition of Milano Moda Graduate, the event dedicated to the excellence of Italian fashion schools.

Milano Moda Graduate 2022, the annual fashion show promoted by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana at the opening of Milan Fashion Week Women’s Collection, to support young talent. There are ten leading Italian fashion schools participating, with a total of 18 students showing their creations.

The awards ceremony took place at the ADI Design Museum, on the occasion of the inauguration of Milan Fashion Week. The winners were chosen by a jury chaired by Renzo Rosso.

Members of the Jury were:

Renzo Rosso (Founder & President OTB Group), Paola Alvear (CEO Alvear Group); Giuseppe Angiolini (Owner of Sugar and Honorary President of Camera Buyer – The Best Shops); Giampietro Baudo (Global Chief Contet Officer @ L’officiel, Editor In Chief l’Officiel Italia ); Lorenzo Bertelli (Group Marketing Director & Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Prada); Gianluca Cantaro (Editor in Chief e Co-Founder of stxdyoz); Carlo Capasa (Presidente di Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana); Massimo Ferretti (Presidente AEFFE); George Fountas (VP/GMM Bergdorf- Goodman); Tyler Franch (VP-Fashion Director Hudson’s Bay); Riccardo Grassi (President RG Showroom); Jodi Kahn (VP, Luxury Fashion Neiman Marcus); Stefano Martinetto (CEO and Co-founder Tomorrow LTD); Gigliola Maule (Commercial Director Zappieri Milano Srl and Camera Showroom Milano President); Suzy Menkes (Leading Fashion Authority | Creative Conversations Podcast by Suzy Menkes); Laura Milani (Head of Luxury at TikTok Italy); Angela Missoni (MISSONI); Federica Montelli (Head of Fashion La Rinascente); Luca Moscon (Wella Italia Vice President Sales); Tomoya Nakahata (President of YKK Italia); Kerry Olsen (Journalist, New York Times contributor); Giacomo Piazza (Co-Founder and Director 247); Stefano Roncato (Editor in Chief MF Fashion); Alessandro Sartori (Direttore Creativo Gruppo Zegna); Sara Sozzani Maino (CNMI International Brand Ambassador and Educational and Scouting initiatives Advisor Vogue Italia); Marco Vianello (Vice-President for Sales & Business Development Tomorrow LTD) and Yoshimasa Hoshiba (Senior Luxury Buyers Advisor).

The name of Sofias’ collection is Ephyra and it is inspired by an analysis of various species of jellyfish. In this historical moment the jellyfish are increasing more and more due to global warming, which by heating the marine waters favors their reproduction. Overheating is damaging our planet, which is why the collection wants to dare an alternative and sustainable vision of fashion. Overheating is damaging our planet, which is why the collection wants to dare an alternative and sustainable vision of fashion. This led to a biomaterial experiment and the creation of a biomaterial print on tulle. The reticular texture is made from a compound of water, gelatin, glycerin, beeswax and soap (for making soap bubbles). Other pieces were made by spreading the compound which, with the addition of color, creates incredible shades. This totally water-soluble material with minimal raw material costs is a sustainable alternative to a new printing concept.

Finally, to seal the great success of this collection, Margherita Missoni choose to wear Sofia’s dress during the pink carpet of the Sustainable Fashion Award of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana at La Scala at the end of the Milano Fashion Week. Congratulations XueMaria Enrica and Sofia!