Geared up for digging their ground were dozens of young changemakers live from the Italian capital. Below, we’ve come up with our top picks from Altaroma 2020, giving you the hints about this season’s occasion. You’re welcome.

Accademia Costume & Moda

Despite its links to some of the world’s most compelling historical references, Rome keeps striving to embrace the fresh codes of innovation, emancipating talents, artists and individuals who seek new, invigorating expressive outlets. In fashion capitals, fashion week falls twice a year: once in winter and then again in summer. Altaroma’s mission liaises tradition and innovation through a talent showcase, plunging youngsters into the much-coveted fashion ladder by exposing them to new prospects and enticing production realities.

This year’s edition took place from January 23-26, at Ex Caserma Guido Reni. Through the support of the alliances of Chamber of Commerce of Rome, Lazio Region and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Altaroma is the occasion focused on heightening the scope of young talents across Italy’s (and beyond) creative landfill, supporting the values of Italian craftsmanship and design.

Accademia Costume & Moda

The participation of young creatives to Altaroma partnerships deliberated for various purposes, allows growth in learning and furthering potential, galvanizing their qualities and providing them the necessary competences for on-demand professional practices. As Showcase Roma reached its fifth edition, it spotlighted 56 designers, encompassing 14 brands per day in rotation, which had the opportunity to present their Fall/Winter 2020-2021 collection amidst an exhibit of a whole lot of products. Talent scouting was at the forefront of the event: Showcase will enable designers to allocate their work publicly to industry insiders, with an aim to facilitate entrepreneurial development. Winners from the July edition showcased their new collections: Among them, we find Federico Cina, Jing Yu, Hibourama, Iuri, Maiorano, Nahiot Hernandez, and Twins Florence. Further moderation and scouting were held by Vogue Italia, a title which participated with the exhibition to create an innovative and experiential approach. 150 designers have adhered to the project, commanding a new wave of luxury. A large part of them has had a successful path, gaining international recognition. The lust-list charts names counting the likes of Marco De Vincenzo, Stella Jean, MSGM di Massimo Giorgetti, Arthur Abresser, Nicola Brognano, Benedetta Bruzziches, Giuseppe Di Morabito, Max Kibardin, and Nicholas Kirkwood among many. Sara Sozzani Maino, Former Fashion Director of Vogue Italia and Head of Vogue Talents, together with Fashion Consultant Simonetta Gianfelici evaluated the work of talents from across the Italian spectrum. This is an initiative that comprises not only school alumni, but also emerging brands, eager to breed their work and garner unique industry-led advice.

Federico Cina

First off: Federico Cina. For Fall/Winter 2020 collection thrives inspiration from the organic archive of Vittorio Tonelli: Master, writer, and revered scholar ever fervent of the history and culture of Romagna. Cina’s show was suffused with youthful romanticism and whimsical poignancy, devising the playful slice-of-life spontaneity graced by a testament of perpetual charm. As canonization in modern societal customs often depicts a conundrum of behavioral archetypes; case in point: Moral nuances enforced by popular hierarchies, fashion and creativity acquire an important mission to fuel messages of integrity. And take him by his word, because he, Federico, is gadjo zero. Cina’s latest collection made a breezy, free-spirited splash from his prized Romagna to the capital, birthing a sublime Trompe-l’oeil, which amplified Italian flavors through warm tonal references. He managed to plow his love and craft from the crowds, burgeoning his knowledge as entrepreneur with great remark. His tactfulness in making can be asserted, but beyond his clothing lies a bigger message yet to be heard. The atmosphere and offerings were there to make everyone feel good. Trust me they did.

Federico Cina

Federico Cina

Federico Cina

Spendthrift delivers the clear-toned jacket, tapered trouser, pastel combo unflinchingly for FW20. The laissez-faire attitude of undone buttons and wide-leg trousers is contrasted with sharp surface motifs and smoothly wearable collars while the designer’s contemporary avant-garde touch is added to maxi scarfs. Bonus tips for tapping into the logomania trend without overdoing it.

Naba Milano’s students served-up everything from hype, futurism, inclusivity, and groundbreaking thinking. Giacomo Baraldi’s afro-futuristic take (afro-vibed for the color clashes and future-related for the textures and shapes) stood out particularly for its conceptual playfulness, epitomized by an allusion that nudges to an almost fluid conformity. Alessandro Della Cella reinforces canons of futurism through a dynamic attentiveness to color-coding and pattern-making, reinvigorating functional constructions that takes cues from Asian fashion which, according to the designer have “fed his practice to a point where he felt digging into such creative arena was vital.” Lorenzo Seghezzi’s approach was, undeniably, mesmerizing. Social deconstructivism, repression, gender, and representation led him to create an anthem for the LGBTQ+ hierarchy, crafting a meticulous collection that looks at defying the common archetypes of masculinity, and rousing new, empowering ballots of identity through bold political messages. Tones come vivid and spurring, plunking a vision that taps back at the unapologetic Punk movement, where being one’s self was rampant.

Accademia Costume & Moda revealed a parade of sartorial trailblazers, providing signature pieces, unique forms, and tantalizing cuts. Marco Passone’s afloat-like glam encompassed his proclivity for skydiving, delivering clothing that was functional, beautifully printed and brave in aesthetics. Tailoring was delicate, emblazoned by a seamless versatility in structure. Other tropes of his, including flowing silhouettes, voluminous skirting, and geometric lines, brimmed. Beatrice Scanni loves a good-old stripe. Reminiscing simpler times, oversized, overlayered and stripy gear recalled hybrids with timeless vigor, and the catwalk spoke per se. Two-piece sets, cropped shirts and sleeveless cardigans got the tailoring element upped in range: Propositions transitioned seamlessly between Pret-a-porter, officewear, and off-duty, emulating that early ‘1990s class seen back in the day. Alice Piscedda relishes a brassy shoulder. Made out of paper and decked by pastels, her collection champions the youthful power of ingenuity, relinquished upon adulthood. Piscedda’s latest collection hails the wacky, sort of like Thom Browne role model, and adds a distinct spin by painting and customizing her roomy yet ever crisply-shaped apparel. Eva Brenda Bureau, responsible for the sophisticated garments with technical interventions at Dyloan Bond Factory, designs with the strong, vehement person in mind. Her close attention to detail and careful selection of innovative materials, she’s more than qualified for the job. Bringing on the table for FW20 were tie-dye suiting options, duty-heavy outwear, varsity avec plaid, abstract-stamped graphics, and dashes of tangerine. Her continuous love affair with seams lingers, melding raw hems and loose details to juxtapose her clean panoply of cuts.

Gall

Justin Gall, founder of eponymous label Gall co-led with partner Chiara Nardelli, doles out male fashions with a revolutionary and experimental twist. Titled Omnia, the collection focuses on shapes, colors, and fabrics of the ethics of survival, pioneering the likes of ease through the exploration of detachable fastenings (seeping practicality), compliance and functional-led design. The chromatic circuit isn’t to be neglected: Reds, greens, and blues energize the garments’ harmony, balancing one another considerably. Disruption, maximum adaptability, and performance are bottled in, too, acting as key details across the brand’s magnitude.

Gall

Gall

Zoomantic and adroitly bombastic, Italo Marseglia’s enthralling safari embraced the beauty of childhood expressed through the eyes of a visionary. It’s a love story rich of passion and sentiments, proposed through an experiential ambiance prized by Marseglia: Nature. Prompted by a galore of loftiness, replicated by a delicate theme of radiant shapes and grandiose propositions, the designer boasts plenty of clean lines that as they fold, drape, or split, become increasingly romantic. For his first time, Marseglia conveyed a digitalized version of sublimated printing onto various canvases: Spanning from upcycled seaweed fabrics to natural tulle, he managed to incorporate his vision with an intention of de-canonizing social creeds and swaying notions of sophistication into his menswear, poking into volumes which speak pure refinement. The result: elegant, refined, ethereal, and ready to take the world.

Altaroma marks the charts as a to-watch event that remains to hub industry trailblazers and established talents.

 

Photos by Francesco Guarnieri and Simone Pagano.