From 10 January 2012, the Polimoda Fashion Week will be launched in the new premises of Villa Favard. Debut of the Polimoda Future Lab. The first star will be the young Swedish designer Erïk Bjerkesjö.

With the new edition of the Polimoda Fashion Week and Pitti Uomo, in January 2012 a new “nursery” of talents comes to birth: POLIMODA FUTURE LAB. A launching-pad, comprising shows, installations, talks, workshops and a location of outstanding artistic value devoted to the former Polimoda students, youngsters with a passionate interest in design, marketing and communication, who present their vision of the future of fashion. These are the elements of the next challenge, in which the Institute will be engaged in a new phase of growth and opening-up to the world. POLIMODA FUTURE LAB will present to the public not only designers, but also brands, events and marketing managers, content curators and web graphic designers, pattern makers, retailers and trend forecasters: what they all share is the fact that they have studied at POLIMODA and are now engaged in successful careers or are about to commence interesting professional itineraries. 

In the new premises of Villa Favard, in a beautiful and ancient architectural complex, each semester the Director Linda Loppa and her team will select a young talent from among the most deserving former students to display the collections, innovative marketing concepts and communication projects of tomorrow. POLIMODA is proud to be able to present its shining stars to the city of Florence and to a network of journalists, companies, friends and fashion aficionados. It is a project which, on the one hand is aimed at triggering synergies and work opportunities for these young talents, and on the other represents a stimulus for the Institute itself to observe how its students are growing up. A meditation on the evolution of fashion, an ongoing scouting project, an educational opportunity for reflection and for building together the brands of tomorrow: POLIMODA FUTURE LAB will be all this and more. A gauntlet cast down to the future.

First Polimoda Talent: Erïk Bjerkesjö

Scheduled to coincide with Pitti Uomo 81, from 10 to 13 January, the first talent to be presented by POLIMODA FUTURE LAB will be Erïk Bjerkesjö, a young designer, originally from Stockholm and former student on the Master in Footwear and Accessories Design (2009-2010); after graduating successfully from POLIMODA, the designer launched his own collection of clothing and accessories, marked by a minimal and contemporary aesthetic typical of the Swedish style. For the show-installation that will be unveiled on 10 January, Erïk Bjerkesjö will present a range of men’s footwear produced by expert Tuscan craftsmen and characterised by a state-of-the-art branded sole: a detail that embodies consummate mastery in the creation of products of the very highest quality. Adding a touch of glamour is the typical “Vienna” heel, personalised by applications in 18k gold, a tribute to the classic that allows itself to be contaminated by a contemporary aesthetic. Erïk’s fashion is intended to define a new concept of male elegance, proposing lines that recall the sober silhouettes of the early twentieth century, but with decisive cuts, sculpted shapes, slim-fit pants and an intense colour palette. The colours take inspiration from quill-pen inks: black, lead and every shade capable of regaling a mysterious, austere and undeniably striking allure. Precise details, precious materials and exquisite skins, for a modern gentleman passionate about the most innovative tailoring.

Not to be missed on 11 January at 17.00 in the Aula Magna of Villa Favard, the GUEST LECTURE “Transmission with Erïk Bjerkesjö”, an opportunity to listen live to the designer’s experience in the launch of his own brand.

“Who better than us can judge our most talented youngsters?” asks the Director Linda Loppa. “Having accompanied them in their personal growth and guided them in the search for their own path, now finally, we are ready to introduce them to the public thanks to this new project, which goes to complete what was already begun by the Polimoda Magazine, the online platform for dialogue and exchange, aimed at giving voice to the ideas of our former and present students.”  

POLIMODA FASHION WEEK CALENDAR
9-13 January 2012, Villa Favard

This edition of the POLIMODA FASHION WEEK ushers in the new POLIMODA season in Villa Favard, with a calendar of events and activities in collaboration with Pitti Immagine and Firenze Magazine.

FIRENZE MADE IN TUSCANY MAGAZINE & POLIMODA COCKTAIL PARTY - 9 January, 19.00-23.00, by invitation only.

POLIMODA FUTURE LAB: Erïk Bjerkesjö - installation 10-11-13 January, 10.00-17.00; lecture 11 January, Aula Magna, at 17.00. 

DRESS LIKE A MAN, Special Project Fondazione Pitti Discovery, Masterclass Marc Ascoli with the Polimoda students - 12 January, 16.00-19.00, by invitation only.

POLIMODA VIDEO WALL: permanent installation with the best video-projects of the Institute – every day.