Dear iDEALS, Following the second edition of POLIMODATALENT – a project launched last January with the
Swedish designer Erik Bjerkesjo and repeated in June with the footwear of Andreia Chaves
and Gianluca Tamburini – the first important recognitions are beginning to flow in. Bjerkesjo
has recently won the Who is on Next?/ Man competition, organised by Altaroma with Pitti
Immagine and L'Uomo Vogue. The contest is one of the most important in the menswear
field and offers the winner the chance to be the star of a special event at the forthcoming
Pitti Uomo in January 2013 (8-11 January 2013).
Yojiro Kake 2012 ©
The jury, chaired by Franca Sozzani and
Raffaello Napoleone, selected the young talent from Stockholm for his capacity to unite Italian
craft expertise with the creativity of northern Europe. It was through Polimoda that Erik – who
took the Master in Footwear and Accessories Design (2009-2010) – discovered the Italian craft
traditions.
This is how he relates his experience: “A unique aspect of my training at Polimoda was the chance to study and understand Italian craftsmanship and the finest Tuscan traditions, but interpreted on a modern note. They taught me that to create something new you need to master traditional know-how, so that you can work and be familiar with different materials and understand the quality and construction of the forms. As well as this, the Polimoda teachers encouraged me to look inwards to discover an authentic voice, a way of creating something different, starting from tradition, using music, a video or a fabric as source of inspiration.”
Last but not least, the Brazilian designer Andreia Chaves was selected for the major show LIMITED/UNLIMITED, the display project conceived and promoted by Silvia Venturini Fendi to represent the new core of Altaroma: an event intended to be an international platform where designers can freely express their creativity.
On this occasion Andreia displayed a limited edition model of the “Invisibile Shoe” series that uses a range of different leathers put together using an advanced technology of 3D printing. This is how Andreia Chaves sums up her experience in Florence:
“At Polimoda I learnt to see the world from a different angle. Moreover, since the school is in the very middle of Florence, every day you experience the contrast between contemporary production and shows, the historical and artistic context of the place nd the work your teachers ask you to do: it’s a unique mix that I found incredibly stimulating.”
“These young designers are shining examples of the Polimoda method, and extremely encouraging for the new generations of students,” concludes Patrick De Muynck, Head of the Design Department and in charge of the stylistic evolution of the students of the Institute. “They are the confirmation that Polimoda can succeed in generating creative personalities, creators who can play an indispensable role at the service of the ‘big Designers’ and ‘major fashion houses’, designers who put themselves to the test with their own ‘labels’, creating a world of their own that can leave its mark on contemporary fashion.”
CALENDAR OF POLIMODATALENT EVENTS IN MILAN
From 20 al 25 September 2012:
Yojiro Kake – Mauro Grifoni Store – Via Santo Spirito 17
Gianluca Tamburini/Conspiracy – Palazzo Morando, Via S. Andrea 6
Comments