On Friday 15 June 2018, the 4th Milano Moda Graduate – the event dedicated to Italian fashion schools – took place at CNMI’s fashion show facility at no. 56 via Savona.

Growing new talents is part of the mission of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and this is the reason why the main partner of the event is YKK – leader in fastening solutions, promoting visibility to the work and talent of the future generations from the very beginning of its activity.

Also this year, the event featured different activities, such as a collective show – to promote the creativity and talent of the most merit-worthy students in the Italian fashion schools – and a static exhibition presenting the excellence of students in 3- and 4-year fashion courses in accessories design, styling, visual merchandising, knitwear, editorials, wearable technology, jewellery, sustainability, pattern making and tailoring.

The eight finalists in the “Best of” show – Cecilia Juarez Balta – IstitutoEuropeo di Design – Perù, Mauro Muzio Medaglia – Accademia Costume & Moda – Italia; Giacomo Pavia – Accademia Costume & Moda – Italia; Simona Pedone – NABA-Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti – Italia; Alejandra Rendon Felix – Istituto Marangoni – Messico; Ignacio Rodriguez Munoz – NABA-Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti – Spagna; Francesco Salvi – Istituto Europeo Design – Italia; Martina Trezzi – Istituto Marangoni – Italia – had the incredible and unique opportunity to show at the very opening of the Milano Moda Uomo fashion week calendar.

The finalists’ capsule collections were presented to an illustrious international jury chaired by Renzo Rosso, Chairman OTB, and comprising Gianluca Cantaro, Editor-in-Chief L’Officiel Italia and L’Officiel Hommes Italia, Carlo Capasa, Chairman Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Alessandra Carra, CEO Agnona, Pierpaolo Ferrari, Photographer, Rose Forde, Senior Fashion Editor, PORT Magazine, Riccardo Grassi, founder of Riccardo Grassi Showroom, Marco Lau, Merchandising Manager, Harvey Nichols Hong Kong, Luke Leitch, Contributing Editor, Vogue Runway, Editor-at-Large, Vogue Italia and Fashion Editor, 1843 Magazine (The Economist), Sara Sozzani Maino, Deputy Editor in Chief Vogue Italia and Head of Vogue Talents, Jessica Michault, Senior Vice President, Industry Relations, Launchmetics and Editor at Large, ODDA Magazine, Angela Missoni, President and Creative Director, Missoni, Lee Oliveira, Photograph, Stylist, Creative Director and Fashion Contributor, New York Times. Martyn Roberts, Managing & Creative Director – London – Graduate Fashion Week, Tom Stubbs, Menswear Writer, Serena Tibaldi, Fashion Editor, La Repubblica and D La Repubblica, Marco Tonizzo, Merchandising Director, Yoox, Riccardo Tortato, Men’s Fashion Director, Tsum Moscow and DLT St. Petersburg, Tomaso Trussardi, CEO Trussardi, Anna Zegna, Image Advisor, Ermenegildo Zegna and Chairman, Fondazione Zegna.

Four major prizes were handed over at the end of the Fashion Show, which was presented by Paolo Stella:

The CNMI Fashion Trust Onlus Prize, handed over by Renzo Rosso as chair of the jury and Umberta Gnutti Beretta, representing the Trust, went to Mauro Muzio Medaglia (Accademia Costume e Moda). The student thus won a tutorship with CNMI, which will support him in achieving his goals for the future. (€ 10,000)

The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana Prize dedicated to the Static Exhibition section was handed over by Carlo Capasa to Emanuela Mammalella (Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli / Dipartimento DADI) for an experimental project in collaboration with Kiton. Emanuela Mammalella won an internship with one of CNMI associated brands.

The Vogue Talents Prize was handed over by Sara Sozzani Maino to a Cecilia Juarez Balta (Istituto Europeo di Design), who will have the splendid opportunity of media coverage in Vogue Talents.

YKK Italia, main partner of the event and represented by Hitoshi Yamaguchi, President of YKK Italia, gave a prize to Alejandra Rendon Felix (Istituto Marangoni) , the designer who produced the best outfit dedicated to the brand. Alejandra Rendon Felix will take part in a journey-seminar in Japan in March 2019 during the Japanese fashion week in Tokyo and receive a 5,000 euro training grant.

Today’s event closes a unique educational project that Camera Nazionaledella Moda Italiana offered to select students, a training programme including workshops, consulting on specific themes and direct contacts with companies that assisted them for the three months from March 2018 to the long awaited moment of the fashion show.

The course kicked off with a workshop by YKK, which assisted the young designers right from the start of their training programme. The workshop

enabled them to explore fastening accessories, which then became major features in two outfits shown by each designer. YKK, a leading zip maker, is this year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Group’s Italian associate.

Being rooted in technology, creativity, sensibility and promotion of the new, YKK has always been committed to art, in all its manifestations.