This week, students and faculty members met on the Manifattura Campus to welcome new faces and celebrate the beginning of a new year full of creativity and innovation. Journal correspondent and Undergraduate in Fashion Business student, Julie Nunes, reports from one of the school’s most important nights of the year, Welcome to School.
The night’s theme, “Wear What Represents You”, an ode to Polimoda’s diversity, made space for imagination and interpretation. More than 600 students, with their dreams and stories, showed up to the event. The room was filled with textures and colors, embodying the student’s bold and unique personalities, which made us eager to know more about their approach to personal style.
@polimoda We asked Polimoda students to define their style in 3 words at Welcome to School 🧡 The assignment? Wear Something That Represents You ✨ #fashionschool #polimoda #personalstyle #fashionstudent #style ♬ original sound - Polimoda
In the crowd, some students explored the duality of their style. They use fashion to explore contrasts in their personalities, cultures or gender. Elze Auguste Gusciute, Undergraduate in Fashion Business student balanced masculine & feminine energy by wearing a mini dress covered by a long oversize men’s coat, while Jan-Piero Jacobs Vila, Undergraduate in Fashion Design student mixed and layered office wear and streetwear to reflect both aspects of his personality: “it represents me as I am a chill person but I am still very serious about my goals and myself”. On a lighter note, Raina Ghashi, Undergraduate in Fashion Business student embraced her “Gemini self” and channeled one of her multiple personalities by letting out her inner Barbie, wearing a bright pink mini dress.
Wear we come from: other students used fashion to express their heritage, roots and personal history. Undergraduate in Fashion Business student Livia Dettman wore an all black outfit with pops of color, honouring her Brazilian roots, while You Shengfei, Master in Fashion Design student, wears Chinese brands as a way to celebrate his origin. Others honoured their heritage and brought their own designs to life. Elijah Booth, Undergraduate in Fashion Design student wore pants he designed himself, so did Paco Centeno, Master in Fashion Art Direction student.
@polimoda The fashion debate we NEEDED 🔥 Minimalism vs Maximalism, Galliano vs McQueen, Color vs All Black Polimoda students chose their side—what's yours? 👇 #thisorthat #fashiontok #polimoda #fashionschool #stylechoices ♬ original sound - Polimoda
Playfulness was at the core of the night, and many students dressed up just for the sake of enjoying fashion. Siloé Hervy, Undergraduate in Fashion Design student, wore a silver sparkly dress, recalling the carelessness of her childhood and procuring her joy. Lou Verougstraete, from the same course, wore a tartan skirt with ruffles: “I don’t know what it says about me, but I love it!”, she stated.
Not all students felt like standing out, and that is their biggest statement. Polina Saltykova, Master in Fashion Brand Management student, wore a vintage oversized jacket and some baggy jeans, prioritizing comfort above all. Lakshmi Narayana, Undergraduate in Fashion Business student goes for practicality as he wore a black t-shirt with black pants and ironically confessed: “I wore whatever I had in my closet, today was laundry day”.
The room was also filled with archive and vintage enthusiasts; students are often deeply interested in history and fashion storytelling. Jing Jirat Jitdee, doesn’t just study Undergraduate in Fashion Design, but also a Vinted expert and a real archive fashion hunter, he wore a vintage Tom ford silk shirt and archive Yohji Yamamoto pants. Maya Lilian Kunz, Undergraduate in Fashion Art Direction student sees vintage as a way to differentiate herself, an opportunity to source pieces that only herself can possess. She was wearing a beige denim set with embroideries, and shared “I really like classic items with a twist”.
And because at Polimoda, black isn’t just a color, but instead a lifestyle, students paid tribute to their dearest shade. Undergraduate in Fashion Business student Felicitas Lollert wore an all black outfit as she does not want attention for her clothes but would rather be noticed for her personality. Shayaan Khan, Undergraduate in Fashion Design student wore an all black thrifted outfit, slightly punk, describing who he is and what he loves. Finally Nerija Kanapkaite, Undergraduate in Fashion Art Direction student wore black in order to express her tiredness towards the industry: “I feel just so tired of the colorfulness of the creative world so I’m wearing all black, right now I would rather focus on the shapes and constructions in my outfit”. In the end, black always is a statement.
There were no rules, only stories. Each outfit on the floor was a personal manifesto, a runway of identity in a school where fashion isn’t just a topic but a shared language, the theme was more than fitting, it was inspiring. The night may be over but the year ahead of us promises to be full of creativity, connection and intention. It won’t just be stylish, it’ll be real.
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- Photo by Riccardo Bartalucci
