We are all techno-primitive, this gives us a superiority that borders on monstrous, potentially destructive, supernatural, yet cultural.
Danilo Venturi, Director of Polimoda
Supernature Polimoda Fashion Show 2019
DateJune 11th, 2019 9:30pmLocation
Manifattura Tabacchi Via delle Cascine 35, Firenze
By invitation only
On the heels of unforgettable days with Alber Elbaz, legendary creative director and honorary guest of graduating students’ final review, the Polimoda Fashion Show 2019 will unveil the best menswear and womenswear collections by fourth-year undergraduates in Fashion Design, making their industry debut during the 96th edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo.
Probing the dualism between craftsmanship and technology, Polimoda’s graduation show is titled Supernature, a concept stemming from the Greek term techne, the personification of art, translated over the centuries as “ars,” “technique” and “know-how.” Designers today must delve into the many contradictions that define human nature, calling into question the instinct to transform nature into product, to craft beauty through the use of tools; through clothing, our students allow garb to mirror the primal, reflecting the never-ending contradictions between nature and technology, our past and future, science and art.
“We live in a world of contradictions,” explains Polimoda Director Danilo Venturi. “We use technology to ensure we create natural products and call it sustainability. We access content from electronic devices but do so with our fingers. We spend more time in the virtual world than the real one, and yet the majority of the images we publish and observe are human faces. We live in extraordinary landscapes but want to bring tourism to space. If fashion mirrors society, then this is also reflected in our clothing and accessories. We are all techno-primitive; this gives us a superiority that borders on monstrous, potentially destructive, supernatural, yet cultural.”
Sara Kozlowski, CFDA Director of Education and Professional Development, will guide the event, the epic outcome of a four-year course of study. The end-of-year Fashion Show is the culmination of an ongoing collaboration with the fashion expert, who Polimoda welcomed as a mentor and lecturer in 2017. Moreover, the event is an opportunity to showcase the work of young designers before a selected international audience of fashion insiders, from journalists to companies and industry professionals, alongside an international jury who together will decide the Best Collection for 2019.
Jury
Composed of some of the most influential contemporary fashion figures, this jury will decide the Best Collection of 2019. Thanks to the partnership with Pitti Immagine, the awarded student will receive the Pitti Tutoring & Consulting Reward, guiding their professional path with a series of meetings with Luca Rizzi, Pitti Tutoring & Consulting Director and his team, as well as special support from Polimoda in the academic year following.
Giampiero Bodino Artistic Director, Richemont
Paolo Cigognini Chief Marketing Officer, Alexander McQueen
Philip Colbert Artist
Emanuele Farneti Director, Vogue Italia, L’Uomo Vogue
Christina Fontana Director of Business Development, Alibaba Group
Leaf Greener Founder and Stylist, LEAF WeChat
Sara Kozlowski Director of Education and Professional Development, Council of Fashion Designers of America
Hirofumi Kurino Co-Founder & Creative Advisor, United Arrows
Arby Li Editor-in-Chief, Hypebeast
Linda Loppa Advisor of Strategy & Vision, Polimoda Sven Marquardt Photographer
Mariasole Pastori Talent Acquisition Manager, Eyes on Talent
Diane Pernet Founder, ASVOFF
Fabio Piras Course Director MA Fashion, Central Saint Martins
Laudomia Pucci Deputy Chairman & Image Director, Emilio Pucci
Luca Rizzi Tutoring & Consulting Director, Pitti Immagine
Simon Ungless Executive Director, School of Fashion, Academy of Art University
Danilo Venturi Director, Polimoda
Bernhard Willhelm Designer, Bernhard Willhelm
Location
Polimoda will hold its 2019 Fashion Show in the revived Manifattura Tabacchi, a space that after almost two decades of abandonment has begun its transformation into a hub of contemporary culture and life. The 8-hectare space expects to house the institute’s third branch in the 6000 square-meter edificio dell’orologio. Polimoda’s choice of scenery for its annual fashion event follows the footsteps of other prominent designers – from Gucci to Gosha Rubchinskiy – that reused the area’s warehouses for their runway shows and related events during the annual Pitti Uomo trade fair.
The complex’s first fully functioning tailoring workshops were opened this past October, granting students access to cutting-edge fashion spaces and state-of-the-art machinery. Roughly 1000 square meters of workrooms are currently being used by final-year Fashion Design and Fashion Technology students, as well as Master’s students in Fashion Design and Collection Design, merging the past and future to house institute’s new educational playground. In line with Polimoda’s vision of fostering ties between students and the industry, the spaces witnessed a series of workshops with special guests and industry experts.
Students
Selected from the entire cohort of final year Fashion Design students, the following young designers will present their collections on the runway this year.
Giulia Baratti Italy Womenswear
Violetta Bretschneider Germany Womenswear
Manuel Calabrese Italy Menswear
Yada Fei China Womenswear/Menswear
Niccolò Fontanelli Italy Menswear
Siria Giampietro Italy Womenswear
Benedetta Giannessi Italy Womenswear/Menswear
Andrea Grossi Italy Menswear
Miao Miao Jia China Menswear
Kyungdeok Kim South Korea Menswear Angelina Kriventsova Russia Womenswear/Menswear
Ketty Lin Italy WomenswearGiorgio Matteo Lorusso Italy Menswear
Francesco Malandrini Italy Menswear
Benedetta Marcucci Italy Menswear
Ambra Meineri Italy Womenswear/Menswear
Giacomo Nasi Italy Menswear
Mirea Papotto Italy Menswear
Valentine Tinchant Belgium Womenswear
Ting Xiong China Womenswear
Credits
Creative Direction Danilo Venturi
Course Mentor Sara Kozlowski
Production and Casting From Studio
Scent Design Olfattorio
Location Manifattura Tabacchi