MEET THE FINALISTS

ATELIER TERRA URBANA - MATEJA BENEDETTI @NOTJUSTALABEL

Stylist and costume designer, Mateja Benedetti, and graphic designer, Sasa Kladnik, set out to create a luxury brand that respected the environment. With these words from Ghandi, “Be the change you want to see in the world”, the two friends decided not to wait for big fashion brands to change the industry, but to change it themselves. With the first collection financed by the opera at Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Mateja and Sasa’s collection was exhibited for the first time at a multi-brand store in Ljubljana.

A P P L E S K I N

Leather alternative created from apple waste from the food industry, which is often discarded for landfill, or burned. This waste can be converted into materials including vegetable-based faux leather, which is mechanically processed in Italy.

CO|TE - TOMASO ANFOSSI ET FRANCESCO FERRARI @COTE.OFFICIAL ON INSTAGRAM

Founded in 2010, CO|TE, which means shelter and protection, offers collections that stand out for their refined and cutting-edge designs, entirely produced in Italy according to the best ‘Made in Italy’ traditions. The designers’ creations stem from a continuous exchange of ideas, inspired by inquisitive and spirited women. Geometric shapes represent the point of departure for the creation of each garment, and for this reason the choice of fabrics is of primary importance; not only do they help maintain the desired volumes during the process of designing the silhouettes, but also once the garments are being worn.

ORGANIC SILK

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified organic silk is a best practice option for a luxury material. GOTS is recognised as the world’s leading processing standard for textiles made from organic fibres. It defines high level environmental and social criteria along the organic textiles supply chain.

ECONYL®

ECONYL® yarns are made from both postconsumer and pre-consumer nylon waste including fishing nets and carpets. This is an innovative and sustainable way to create products from waste in a continuous loop. The ECONYL® regeneration system can be endlessly repeated without any loss in material quality.

LEO STUDIO DESIGN - LEO MACINA @LEOSTUDIODESIGN ON INSTAGRAM

Leo Macina was born in Bari in 1985, and at eighteen, he moved to Milan to study fashion and graphic design at the Marangoni Institute.

When he returned to Puglia, he had the opportunity to work with an old leather maker and master shoemaker where he grew interested in craftsmanship and natural materials. Leo combined his passion for artisanship and fashion and began making prototypes from his sketches, using his homeland Puglia, which is so in tune with nature, as his inspiration. Later, he started his adventure by developing a small collection, and in January 2014 he launched the Leo Studio Design line, which consisted of just ten bags.

The success of this first small collection prompted him to expand and develop a complete collection composed of RTW, footwear and accessories. The Leo Studio Design brand continues to grow, with the Spring-summer 2017 collection having been presented during Milan Fashion Week.

ECONYL®

Printed culottes, backpack, shoes. ECONYL® yarns are made from postconsumer and preconsumer nylon waste including fishing nets and carpets.

ORGANIC COTTON

Printed skirt, backpack lining. Organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, or genetic engineering. Organic cotton farming restores and maintains soil health and promotes high social and working standards for farmers.

HEMP

Kimono belt, backpack, belt bag, shopper, shoes. Hemp grows almost anywhere and requires no pesticides or fertiliser. The plant is good for the soil and the atmosphere.

NETTLE

Kimono. Wild-growing nettles are beneficial for the soil in which they grow, and do not require fertilizers and water to grow.

TIZIANO GUARDINI - TIZIANO GUARDINI @TIZIANOGUARDINI ON INSTAGRAM

He has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Interview and Corriere della Sera, which deemed him as ‘the stylist of nature’. From a young age, he was fascinated by fashion and went to study at the Koefia Academy of Rome. At first, he collaborated in various fashion ateliers in Rome, finally joining companies focusing on ready-to-wear fashion and accessories.

ORGANIC PEACE SILK

GOTS certified organic peace silk. Organic peace silk is created without the use of pesticides and fertilisers for the mulberry trees used to feed the silk worms. Peace silk means that the silk moths are allowed to leave their cocoons without being harmed, ensuring that both environmental and animal welfare issues are considered.

RECYCLED NYLON

100% recycled nylon made from waste materials including discarded fishing nets and ocean waste.

UPCYCLED PAILETTES

Pailettes made from collected Italian seashells and ruined CDs.

PRODUCTION LASER CUTTING

Laser cutting has been used to create ‘recycled’ pailettes which are hand embroidered onto the dress.

CALCATERRA - DANIELE CALCATERRA @CALCATERRAD ON INSTAGRAM

Daniele Calcaterra was born in Milan in 1973, and subsequently trained between Milan and the Dudovich Institute in order to enter the fashion industry. Through the years, he has created collections for both men and women, in collaboration with important and historic Italian companies.

In 2006, he opened his own design studio, also working with prestigious Italian brands, where he was given the opportunity to be head designer.

LENZING TENCEL® is a low-impact fibre made from wood pulp, sourced responsibly from sustainable forest plantations and produced in a closed loop process to ensure virtually all water and solvents are continually re-used, powered by renewable energy.

LINEN Lenzing Tencel® blended with linen - linen can be grown with little or no chemical fertlizer, and little water. All parts of the plant can be used after harvesting to create multiple by-products so nothing is wasted.

‘ FEATHERS ’

‘Plumage’ has been created by hand combing and weaving hemp rope, organic cotton organza and silk.