Sara Jacqueline Morandini wins the Accessories Design category at the Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition 2025

We are proud to announce that Sara Jacqueline Morandini, a student of the BA in Costume & Fashion at Accademia Costume & Moda, has won the Accessories Design category of the prestigious Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition 2025.

Her collection, entitled “Ombrage – A Leather Goods, Footwear and Jewellery Project”, offers a profound and visionary exploration of the primordial contrasts that inhabit the human being: light and shadow, good and evil, positive and negative. Through leather and wood, Sara’s work investigates the hidden dimensions of the self, transforming them into a narrative of awareness and creativity.

Ombrageis a gender-fluid collection of leather goods, footwear and jewellery that blends material experimentation with artisanal craftsmanship. The project employs fine leathers such asNew Zealand Lamb Leather, with its coarse and irregular grain, and calfskin with a partial foil finish, enhancing shadow and light effects.

These are complemented by the use of wood as both a structural and decorative element: bamboo, used for bag trims, and beechwood, processed with advanced five-axis machining techniques to craft heels with a raw, chiselled look that contrasts with their fluid outer curves. The outcome is a collection with a primitive, ancestral aesthetic that bridges materiality and symbolism.

The colour palette moves between nude, avion blue, green and black, embracing a gender-fluid approach. Metallic finishings – in gunmetal, silver and gold details – further amplify the interplay of contrasts, the conceptual core of the collection.

Now in its fifth edition, the Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition, promoted by the Leather & Hide Council of America (LHCA), is one of the most important global platforms for emerging design talent. The initiative champions bovine leather as a sustainable, durable material, highlighting the need to reduce consumption, counter fast fashion and foster a more responsible future for fashion.

Winners across the categories – apparel, footwear and accessories – will be invited to the international final, held on 27–28 October 2025 in Taipei, at the iconic Taipei 101. The awarded projects will also be featured in the RLSD Capsule Collection, showcased in a worldwide tour dedicated to fashion and sustainability.

Sara Jacqueline Morandini’s victory confirms the international vision and excellence of Accademia Costume & Moda, which continues to train and support a new generation of designers able to combine creativity, innovation and responsibility.