The work of a whole year, perfect conclusion of a study path long, often stressful but surely wonderful. Istituto Secoli presented the graduate collections of its last year and master students, with also a new project called “Designer to Watch”.
The atmosphere was full of expectation in the famous nightclub Alcatraz in Milan, a renowned location that with its industrial mood create the perfect context for the presentation of the fashion show of over 50 young talents just graduating at Istituto Secoli.
The “Secoli Fashion Show” reached its 35th edition and this year the school, one of the most important at international level, adds an innovative element to the show, a new project caled “Designer to Watch” that involved 3 young designers selected from the 2017 graduated students, who presented their solo capsule collections at the beginning of the show.
The powerful girl imagined by Federica Zaletti has a double soul, as the title “Dual vision” suggests, combining with strong decision the most classic pieces of female wardrobe, like the pinstripe suit or the blazer jacket with the 80s flavor of metallic tech fabrics, oversize proportions and a sporty spirit emphasized by bright colors.
Greta Moroni, with a collection entitled “The freedom of walking on the grass” makes a reasoning about the absurdity and chaos of modern life and progress, so strictly connected to a supposed necessity of consumism. The concept is strong and delicate at the same time, expressed through elongated details, overlap and knotting, photos printed and patched as sarcastic postcards on the clothes.
“Anemik Freak” by Filippo Todisco (here an interview with the designer) is a menswear collection decidedly innovative. New is the way he used the leather, mistreated and remixed, using black as main color which assumes the infinite shades given by the different surfaces. New is the deep concept behind the collection, in which punk and funk become the excuse to represent the needs of protection of the body through wrong armours, often too short or long to suit to our complicated souls.
After these three capsule collections, the Secoli’s 2018 fashion show began. The title of the general concept was “Quod Signum”, a visual reasoning about the meanings of clothing as sign to represent the physicality of body and world surrounding it through their mutual relationship. The main inspiration came from the world of art, architecture, photography, philosophy and semiotic, through a detailed analysis of the works of artists and writers like Yves Klein, Vanessa Beecroft, Mark Rothko, Yoko Ono and Mark Johonson.
The narration is divided into 4 moments. In “Graphic sign”, barcodes and sold-out writings invaded the space of the body transforming it in a kind of package for sale, while pure lines define geometric surfaces in the overlap of transparent fabrics and color blocks.
The students are: Silvia Ramponi, Valeria Piazza, Martina Rebora, Anna Salvigni, Luna Zaffino, Giulia Martera, Benedetta Tenan, Enrica De Santis, Catalina Ciocan, Lijia Zheng, Sara Banfi, Weiye He, Laura Linetti
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| “Graphic sign” |
Oversize proportion, embossed 3-D or draped details, asymmetries and unexpected cuts of the theme “The sign over the body” play with the common sense of male fashion to find new aesthetic meanings.
The students are: Tingting Yang, Yanglong Zhang, Riccardo Radaelli.
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| “The sign over the body” |
“Color as sign” redefines the role of bright colors like blue and fuchsia in relationship with the shapes, giving a boost of energyto the perfectly clean white silhouettes of the revisit3d sartorial garments. In red the color exalts the body shape through a game of transparencies and stratifications of male and female fabrics.
The students are: Chiara Sortino, Giulia Favero, Antonella Prato, Xinya Li, Alessandra Burti, Shuxin Lin, Fabiana Calvo, Caterina Pastore, Adriana Piana, Xuan Luo.
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| “Color as sign” |
In “Body as sign” the natural shapes of male body become parts of the collection concept itself, emphasizing its beaty with anatomical details, ransparent and strech fabrics, soft drapes and interwined shapes. Clothing becomes an excuse to underline the naked body, so desirous to be free and instead constricted into its physical boundaries.
The students are: Junhyun Kim, Suho Seok, Yu Zhang, Zeqi Peng, Yaxuan Song, Beatrice Casalini, Tongchao Liang, Linrui Li, Siyu Wang, Lin Yang, Clara Lionie Rodrigues Moreira, Sofia Agnoletti, Federica Garbelli.
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| “Body as sign” |
The relationship “Between body and nature” is seen into two different ways. A perfect idyllic symbiosis on one side, with poetic floral decorations on padded or loudy fabrics that give the perception of an harmonious dream. That is broken from another perspective, in which proportions and natural decorations are voluntarily exaggerated, looming on the body.
The students are: Yuanting Zhang, Lixing Zhu, Xi Gu, Shaila Primerano, Sara Mattelloni, Sofia Confortola, Alice Costa, Francesca Bandera, Silvia Pasqual, Elisa Radaelli, Debora Ziggiotto.
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| Between body and nature” |
After the show all the excited and finally satisfied students receive the plause of the public, waiting the moment of the price-giving. Because Secoli Fashion Show in not only a showcase for graduated students, but a moment of recognition of the talent and of all the work spent to realize the dream of becoming a fashion designer.
Thanks to the support of the numerous partner companies like Lectra, G.A. Operation S.p.a. (Armani Group), Moncler, Bemberg, Antia, IACDE (International Association of Clothing Designers and Executives), Macpi and Tecniche Nuove, with also the support of institutions (Regione Lombardia, Comune di Milano, CNMI Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and SMI Sistema Moda Italia), this year the students won a great number of interesting prizes.
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| The students of Istituto Secoli at the end of the graduate show 2018 with Lara Magoni councillor for tourism, marketing and fashion of Regione Lombardia |
The winner are: Martina Rebora, Enrica De Santis, Silvia Ramponi, Elisa Radaelli, Xinya Li, Adriana Piana, Sofia Agnoletti, Francesca Bandera, Yuanting Zhang, Sara Banfi, Fabiana Ccalvo, Beatrice Casalini, Riccardo Radaelli, Siyu Wang, Peng Zeqi, Yanglong Zhang.
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| Winners of Secoli Fashion Show 2018: Silvia Ramponi, Sofia Agnoletti, Xinya, Yuanting Zhang |
Three designers, not yet announced, will have a “Special mention by Vogue Talents”, while until the 6th July there’s also the possibility to vote your favorite designer on the dedicated website thanks to which the best three students will win a scolarship of € 1000 to continue their studies at Istituto Secoli.
Photo credits:
Courtesy
Ufficio stampa Istituto Secoli
Ufficio stampa Istituto Secoli
Elisa Gibaldi (the blog’s author)
