Polimoda Graduate Show 2025

The Polimoda Graduate Show 2025 was unveiled at Pitti Immagine Uomo 108 on June 16th, 2025 showcasing the work of twenty graduating students through a runway presentation of over one hundred looks.

These designers – hailing from across the globe – came to Florence to study fashion design, and after four years of rigorous education, transformed their ideas from raw concepts into collections ready for the industry. Each garment was conceived, developed, and constructed within the new Manifattura Campus workshops, under the mentorship of leading fashion figures including Massimiliano Giornetti, An Vandevorst, and Tim Blanks.

As I said in a quick street-style Q&A outside a London Fashion Week show at 180 Studios earlier this year, graduate shows are much more than a glimpse of what’s next in fashion – they remind us that these aren’t just garments to wear, but works of art. Like paintings or sculptures, they represent countless hours of thought, iteration, and craft. If we shift our perspective to see them as wearable art, we open ourselves to a deeper appreciation – not just for these collections, but for fashion as a whole.

A jury composed of Michèle Lamy, Luc Tuymans, Carla Arocha, Ahmad Daher, Tiziana Cardini, and Marco Rambaldi was tasked with selecting the Best Collection 2025, with the winner to be announced on June 25th.

Presenting designers:

Nansen Capici, Amina Vanneling, Samuele Pampaloni, Sofia Sapena, Joseph Thomas Prince, Veronica Bezzeccheri, Naomi Guzman Duran, Farnia Salim, Derin Kemer, Grigory Fedenko, Eseniia Rybnikova, Leonardo Iori, Elena Azeglio, Filippo Montanini, Sophia Marais Ostervold, Huang Ying, Keila Melany Mirmina, Mandula Maczkó, Isabella Valdez, and Chloe Geyer.

The Polimoda Graduate Show 2025 took place at Stazione Leopolda, Florence. Images courtesy of Polimoda. Featured image photo by Marco Gualtieri.

Nansen Capici (Italy) Silenzio Bianco @nansencapici_

Inspiration: As quoted by J.W. Goethe: “Your father’s inheritance—earn it if you want to own it.”

This collection is a personal journey toward authenticity, inspired by the Arctic explorations of the designer’s namesake, Fridtjof Nansen. It reflects a tension between tradition and freedom, silence and transformation. Influenced by the formal design sensibility from the designer’s paternal side of the family, along with the functional aesthetics of vintage skiwear, Capici merges tailored menswear with technical elements. Shapes reference Philippe Starck’s work, while the palette evokes the cold calm of glacial landscapes, reawakened by the warmth of nature’s subtle, living details.

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Amina Vanneling (Sweden/Iran) Quiet One-Sided Rain @aminavanneling

Inspiration: Six strangers caught in the rain on a typical September afternoon in Gothenburg

This collection explores how six strangers in Gothenburg respond to a sudden downpour – each reaction revealing something deeper about personality, resilience, and preparation. Inspired by a rainy September afternoon and the designer’s own arrival in Sweden, the garments reflect individuality in shared circumstances. Silhouettes range from oversized and protective to minimal and impractical, each tied to a distinct character. Technical, utilitarian fabrics sit alongside ironic choices like untreated cotton, creating a narrative that blends functionality with emotion. More than rainwear, this is a study in human behavior, memory, and quiet symbolism.

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Samuele Pampaloni (Italy) for the boys @pampalonisam

Inspiration: Power and humiliation

After receiving harsh online backlash over a TikTok video, the designer reclaimed vulnerability as strength. Inspired by Pasolini’s Salò, the collection explores power, humiliation, and defiance. It juxtaposes military tailoring with delicate lingerie to reflect the tension between control and exposure. Muted tones and sensual fabrics create emotional contrast – disciplined structure versus fragile intimacy. Through this bold fusion, the designer reclaims agency, turning critique into creativity. It’s a raw, unapologetic stand against judgment – and a celebration of artistic authenticity.

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Sofia Sapena (Paraguay) A Deadly Occasion @sofisapena

Inspiration: Air travel and classic menswear

What would you wear if the plane was going down? That’s the question behind this tragicomic collection inspired by the designer’s sharp-tongued grandfather. Blending classic menswear with ironic nods to air travel – like towels reworked into suits and textures mimicking airplane carpet – it reimagines flightwear through a nostalgic, judgmental lens. Each look channels a different era of aviation style, layered with dry wit and reverence. It’s part satire, part homage, and fully committed to asking: have we stopped dressing like we mean it?

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Joseph Thomas Prince (USA) Homecoming @jt_prince

Inspiration: A summer visit to a family farm in rural America

Inspired by a return to their late grandparents’ farm in the American West, this nostalgic collection captures memories of hay fields, plastic-covered sofas, and the bittersweet passage of time. It honors rural roots through fabric choices that evoke tactile memory – burlap, velvet, and light silk. Silhouettes balance rustic charm with emotional sophistication. This is a tribute to a childhood both cherished and distant, where garments become vessels both for remembering and letting go.

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Veronica Bezzeccheri (Italy/Colombia) Ho perso mio padre. (English: I’ve lost my father.) @veronicabezzeccheri

Inspiration: The designer’s father’s retirement giving him more time to pursue his hobby of fishing

A humorous love letter to a retired father and his fishing misadventures, this collection blends fisherman nostalgia with bathroom absurdity. Inspired by the designer’s dad catching a rubber duck instead of fish, the looks fuse vintage workwear, rubberized textures, and playful silhouettes. Gummy finishes and knitwear mimic both sea waves and glossy bathroom tiles. Fisherman’s coats meet checkered waterproofs in a surreal, sport-meets-domestic aesthetic that’s equal parts funny, touching, and inventive – a tribute to the simple, unlucky joy of casting a line and hoping.

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Naomi Guzman Doran (Mexico, Japan, Malaysia) LA COLD STARE @_naominion_

Inspiration: Growing up in Japan as a Mexican

This collection fuses two cultural coming-of-age traditions – the Japanese Seijin Shiki and the Mexican Quinceañera – reflecting the designer’s bicultural upbringing. Shapes are influenced by traditional kimono silhouettes, while vibrant colors draw from Mexican heritage. The result is a playful yet elegant blend of ceremony and celebration, tradition and individuality. Fabrics chosen for their femininity and fragility support a narrative rooted in identity and belonging. The designs reflect cultural pride and the harmony of dual heritage through bold, wearable storytelling.

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Farnia Salim (Iran) The In-Between Homes @_farnia_s

Inspiration: Life between two contrasting worlds

This collection expresses the emotional tug-of-war between home and freedom. Inspired by life in Iran and abroad, the garments reflect both cultural richness and personal restriction. Traditional Qajar silhouettes are infused with playful modern twists, while menswear-inspired fastenings nod to gender duality. Techniques like fraying and fringe add motion and emotion. In vibrant hues and expressive layers, the collection becomes a safe space where two identities can finally coexist, and where freedom is stitched into every seam.

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Derin Kemer (Turkey) bitch boss @derinkmr

Inspiration: The designer’s mother being a working woman in a male-dominated industry

Inspired by the strength of the designer’s single mother navigating a male-dominated industry, this collection celebrates feminine power with exaggerated shoulders and confident silhouettes. It blends softness and force – drapey pants with walnut wood details, referencing the designer’s mother’s art collection. With garments that transition from day to night, it captures a multifaceted identity: feminine, bold, resilient. The mix of traditional fabrics and bold materials evokes a woman who owns every room she walks into, on her own terms.

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Grigory Fedenko (Russia, Israel) Rise and fall @gregory_vid

Inspiration: A monologue on the concept of “Power.”

This collection examines the aesthetics and politics of power through two lenses: industrial capitalism and imperial decline. Drawing from oil rig workers and the fall of the Romanovs, garments reflect strength, corruption, and historical grandeur. Heavy wools, leather, and vinyl-treated nylons conjure oil stains, decay, and brute force. Blending military influence with aristocratic decay, the silhouettes explore how clothing becomes a uniform for control, wealth, and legacy – both a symbol and a critique of those who hold power and the violence often required to keep it.

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Eseniia Rybnikova (Russia) The Architect @rybnikova_eseniia

Inspiration: George Orwell’s 1984 and the duality of control and freedom

Inspired by Orwell’s 1984, this collection poses a central question: What kind of architect do you want to be? Drawing from brutalist design and characters like Big Brother and Winston, the collection explores creation and control. Geometric, structural shapes are layered over everyday pieces, reflecting the duality of tyranny and imagination. Materials such as glass, plastic, and mosaic mirror this contrast—cold logic meets vibrant rebellion.

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Leonardo Iori (Italy) Sapiens – From Monkey To Monkey @raccattami

Inspiration: The animal within

Sapiens – From Monkey to Monkey investigates the primal within the polished, drawing parallels between apes and humans of high society. Through tailored silhouettes and formal fabrics disrupted by aggressive textures and fur, the collection challenges the illusion of civility. It suggests that underneath the social veneer lies a shared, untamed essence. By merging sartorial elegance with raw, animalistic references, the designer reveals how little we may have evolved when it comes to our more feral instincts.

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Elena Azeglio (Italy) Bonding in Violence @m.e.rak

Inspiration: Moving to a big city from a smaller one

Inspired by the chaos of moving to a big city, this collection explores how adaptation becomes a form of resistance. Influenced by the movie Enter the Void by Gaspar Noé, and the psychological violence of urban life, the designs serve as both escape and protection. Silhouettes draw from military parachuting and samurai armor, balancing fluidity and structure. Materials include lightweight technical fabrics paired with intricate rope macramé, creating garments that shield and express – modern armor for navigating the noise, tension, and resilience required to survive today’s cities.

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Filippo Montanini (Italy) Riccione: sailors and ravers @pippodinomee

Inspiration: Riccione and the freedom of being there

Set in the seaside town of Riccione, this collection is an ode to personal freedom, queer identity, and summer nostalgia. Inspired by the designer’s feminine alter ego, Filippa, it blends sailor motifs, disco flair, and romantic silhouettes. Shiny denims, laces, and gabardines reflect a clash of identities: feminine, nautical, and techno. The result is joyful, sexy, and fluid, both emotionally and stylistically. With memories of first love and dancing under club lights, the collection captures what it means to truly feel at home in your own skin.

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Sophia Marais Ostervold (USA, Norway) GOTHIC SAILORS @sophia.marais.ostervold

Inspiration: The fatality of extreme sports

This collection fuses the adrenaline of offshore sailing with the spirituality found in coastal rituals. Inspired by boats hanging in churches and the lack of feminine sailing gear, the designs blend nautical toughness with Gothic grace. Technical fabrics offer durability, while lace and sheer textiles bring delicacy. Hardware like shackles and fiberglass reflect the extreme sport’s rigging, creating a symbolic, architectural tension. Feminine yet resilient, the garments honor both the danger of the sea and the quiet faith of those waiting onshore.

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Huang Ying (Viktória) (Hungary, China) Under the Plum Blossom Tree @viktoria__lai

Inspiration: Returning to China

After returning to China, the designer reconnected with her mother’s past – her strength, sacrifice, and resilience. This collection is a tribute to her, a woman who transformed hardship into beauty through floristry. Garments echo that evolution, combining structured wool with delicate silks and metallic elements. The contrast mirrors her mother’s journey from labor to grace. It’s a deeply personal story of aging, dignity, and the quiet bloom of a woman rediscovered through memory and love.

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Keila Melany Mirmina (Argentina) Oíd Mortales’ @keimirmina

Inspiration: The realities of the designer’s Argentinian hometown

Set in gritty Buenos Aires, this rebellious collection follows a boy from a working-class town who infiltrates elite society with charm and strategy. Inspired by polo, gauchos, and Argentine social satire, the looks blend traditional countryside styles with luxurious tailoring. Rosettes and feathers mock high-class traditions, while materials like wool, leather, and velvet balance elegance with edge. It’s a sharp, subversive take on ambition, class performance, and queer identity, where fashion becomes both disguise and declaration.

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Mandula Maczkó (Hungary) Dear Roots @maczkomandula

Inspiration: Cultural contrasts of Hungary

This collection contrasts Hungary’s rural past with its folkloric richness, merging hand-woven simplicity with lavish embroidery and tailored refinement. Drawing from peasant traditions and opulent heritage, the designer crafts a modern hybrid – one that reflects both humble origins and cultural pride. Earthy tones and luxurious textures coexist, telling a story of identity through craftsmanship. It’s a deeply personal homage to Hungarian duality: quiet countryside life reimagined with an elevated, contemporary spirit.

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Isabella Valdez (Peru) Nasty Child @_isab3lla__

Inspiration: The emotional process of immigration

This collection tells the story of a child immigrant, reimagined as a wide-eyed explorer seeking a sense of home. It reflects the emotional landscape of displacement through playful silhouettes and a character-driven narrative. Combining 19th-century children’s wear with upcycled sailing materials, the designs blur the lines between history and imagination, tradition and survival. The result is soft, adventurous, and deeply human – a journey across oceans and emotions, stitched together with longing, resilience, and wonder.

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Chloe Geyer (South Africa) Glen Avenue @chloe_geyer

Inspiration: A forest near the designer’s childhood home

Drawing from childhood memories of a nearby forest and playful moments spent with her father, this collection channels nostalgia and whimsy. Inspired by old circus imagery, the designs feature polka dots, stripes, and ruffles, celebrating innocence and imagination. Materials like sheer cotton, silk, and frayed edges add softness and imperfection, while feathers introduce a light, dreamlike quality. The collection evokes the carefree wonder of early years, turning naive memory into gentle, expressive fashion.

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