Milan Fashion Week is in full force, and the Polimoda school seized the visibility of the event to release a digital project on Wednesday that resulted in the best vehicle of promotion not only for the institute, but for Tuscany overall.
Titled “Human Poetics,” the first fashion film produced by the Florence-based school intended to spotlight the creations of 20 of its fashion design students.
In a clever move, each of their proposals was set in landmark locations across the Italian region, creating a visually appealing contrast between the work of talents on the rise and the historic beauty of the venues. It proved to be a win-win move, enhanced by a professional production that furthered the students’ debut in terms of credibility.
Locations encompassed cultural spots such as the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale library and Stibbert Museum in Florence and the Luigi Pecci Contemporary Art Center in Prato; architectural landmarks including the Palazzo Borghese neoclassic palace and the Cavea del Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino theater; outdoor spaces such as the Ippodromo del Visarno racecourse, the Giardino Corsi garden and and the Serre Torrigiani greenhouse; historic stores as the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella perfumery, among others.
As for the young fashion designers involved, they each showcased a concise collection of five looks, developed under the guidance of the schools newly appointed director Massimiliano Giornetti at the end of an atypical year for them, as they saw digital classes took over their physical courses. In most cases, students’ inspirations reflected the complexity of the historical period, including its psychological impact.
For instance, the starting point of the collection developed by Lucia Garofalo was a panic attack she had at her grandmother’s house in Naples. She turned the anguish into creative force introducing familiar elements in the range, crafted from fabrics and materials nodding to the upholstery of traditional houses in southern Italy.
Dubbed “Happy in Jail,” Ginevra Allegri’s collection denounced her generation’s addiction to smartphones and their overuse via textual prints revealed in the lining of deconstructed coats or flashed via panels on shirts and knits.
One of the standouts, French designer Nicolas Bollinger also made a psychological reference to the Rorschach inkblot test that inspired him to play with volumes and cutouts to create optical illusions in his men’s wear offering.
In a more positive approach, Zhanna Diakonenko explored the intimacy of home life playing with crochet, embroidery and patchwork techniques in her lineup “Drjoma,” which translates in “slumber or drowsiness” from Russian. “This is a story about how great it is to be at home, a story for those who like to sleep and roll themselves up in a blanket. It is about me and those who love peace and quiet in their lives,” she said.
The other students involved in the project were Alice Baggio; Ilaria Bellomo; Robert Fioschi; Emma Gini; Benedetta Mandoli; Francesca Monaci; Thomas McGovern; Gianluca Padula; Serena Schettino; Francesca Zangrillo; Carmen Luengo; Yi Ding; Yixuan Zhang; Diana Oscós; Karel Martinez and Polina Popova.