MILAN–The finest in Italian craftsmanship was on show when fashion week here got started Tuesday, with the “Next Generation” fashion contest, which is sponsored by Italy’s fashion chamber Camera Nazionale della Moda. Judges included CNMI CEO Jane Reeve, as well as “The Blonde Salad” blogger Chiara Ferragni.
The contest enables four contestants to show their 12-outfit collections, funded and supported by CNMI. In fact, the show was a testament to the fact that with adequate funding, European know-how and fresh creativity, neophyte designers can really wow the fashion world.
This season, Claudio Cutugno, the 22-year-old intern for Andrea Pompilio, won with his all-black evening wear collection, which included mostly-floor length, multi-faceted ensembles hat intertwined ball gown-looks with sartorial outerwear elements. Sweeping wool robes were embroidered with beads by seamstresses in the Sicilian seaside town of Messina. Exotic furs and hides like eel, infused the collection with a modern edge.
“This collection was all about craftsmanship. We looked to Sicilian artisans because embroidery is a part of their heritage. They have been doing it for decades,” Cutugno told BACO after the show. –Sofia Celeste
