The ‘Fashion Bridges-I Ponti della Moda’ project, promoted by the Italian Embassy in South Africa to support Italian fashion and young designers alongside young South African talents, was presented at the inauguration of Milan Fashion Week on 21 September.
The occasion allowed the launch of the collections of the young designers involved in ‘Fashion Bridges – I Ponti della Moda’. Among those present were the President of the National Chamber of Fashion, Carlo Capasa, and Ambassador Oriana Mannaioli Cuculi.
Partners of “Fashion Bridges – I Ponti della Moda”, in addition to the Italian Embassy in South Africa, are the prestigious fashion school Polimoda of Florence and the National Chamber for Italian Fashion, with the direct involvement of South African Fashion Week (SAFW), and the support of the Italian Trade Agency, Florence Centre for Italian Fashion and Nelson Mandela Forum Florence.
Four themes inspired the designers who presented their collections in Milan: “Syrrogism” by Jaques Bam and Julian Cerro, “Mutual Threads” by Fikhile Sukulu and Ilaria Bellomo, “Within social sculpture” by Sipho Mbuto and Alessia Dovero, “The present human in an absent world” by Michael Peter Reid and Domenico Orefice.
Each garment presented results from a cultural and professional exchange between Italy and South Africa in an innovative and inclusive journey between the two countries. The designers have been able to blend their creativity, giving life to one-of-a-kind works extraordinarily. It will be possible to discover the collections live until Monday 27 September.
Michael Peter Reid and Domenico Orefice won the Buyers’ Award, while Sipho Mbuto and Alessia Dovero received a special mention.
The collections will also be presented at the South African Fashion Week in Johannesburg in October.
