June 16, Stazione Leopolda: the Polimoda Graduate Show 2025 promises a journey into the purest form of creativity through twenty collections, consisting of over one hundred looks that speak of personal roots, authenticity, and experimentation.
Pitti Uomo 108 week opens on Monday, June 16 with the Polimoda Graduate Show 2025, held at Stazione Leopolda. Collections by twenty emerging talents will take the runway in an uncompromising creative exploration defined by original thinking and impeccable execution. Over one hundred looks will unveil personal narratives, bold visions, and material experiments that transcend the conventions of the fashion system.
A journey of self-discovery
The graduate show marks the culmination of a journey rooted in self-awareness and the search for identity. Fashion becomes a language to convey cultural memories and artistic aspirations. It represents the end point of a process of growth and professional maturity for a generation of young designers making their debut. These students—from all corners of the globe—have chosen Italy and Florence as the backdrop for their fashion studies. Four years of education have elevated their concepts into ready-for-industry products. Each garment has been conceived, developed, and produced in the new Manifattura Campus workshops, under the guidance of some of the sector’s leading professionals—from the direction of Massimiliano Giornetti and consulting by An Vandevorst, to the exclusive mentorship of Tim Blanks, one of contemporary fashion’s foremost critics.
A kaleidoscope of visions
The result is unspoiled fashion, free from industry over-structures and commercial pressures. It isn’t a reinterpretation of trends but the courage to experiment with languages, materials, and silhouettes that suggest something entirely new—something capable of surprising. It is the intersection of one’s roots and an urgency to engage with the contemporary world. This occurs through various explorations such as; a new imagination of modern-day city armor; a metaphorical journey into the Arctic in the footsteps of a famous explorer; a crossover of cultures examined through the lens of Japanese and Mexican coming-of-age rituals; a celebration of the beauty and resilience of mothers; a bold individual’s attempt to challenge a nation’s class system; the freedom of the Italian seaside for all expressions of the self; the discombobulating experience of living between different cultures; childhood nostalgia in the America’s rural west; and the tension between control and freedom, chaos and order, influenced by Brutalist architecture or dystopian 20th century literature. Each collection tells a story of self-discovery and gives rise to a kaleidoscope of visions that anticipate the contemporary fashion debate.
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 M. Ostervold
Huang Ying (Viktória)
Keila Melany Mirmina
Mandula Maczkó
Isabella Valdez
Chloe Geyer
Runway pictures by Filippo Fior / GoRunway
Collections and stories from around the world
The designers, whose collections were selected by the faculty from across all graduate works, represent seventeen different nationalities—each bringing a piece of their origins and culture to the runway: Elena Azeglio (Italy), Veronica Bezzeccheri (Italy/Colombia), Nansen Capici (Italy), Grigory Fedenko (Russia/Israel), Chloe Geyer (South Africa), Naomi Guzman Doran (Mexico/Japan/Malaysia), Huang Ying (Hungary/China), Leonardo Iori (Italy), Derin Kemer (Turkey), Mandula Maczkó (Hungary), Keila Melany Mirmina (Argentina), Filippo Montanini (Italy), Sophia Marais Ostervold (USA/Norway), Samuele Pampaloni (Italy), Joseph Thomas Prince (USA), Eseniia Rybnikova (Russia), Farnia Salim (Iran), Sofia Sapena (Paraguay), Isabella Valdez (Peru), and Amina Vanneling (Sweden/Iran).
The Best Collection 2025
A prestigious jury—featuring some of the most prominent names in culture and entertainment—is tasked with selecting the “Best Collection 2025.”
This year’s jury includes Michèle Lamy, artist, producer, performer and Co-Founding Partner of Owenscorp; internationally renowned visual artists Luc Tuymans and Carla Arocha; Ahmad Daher, RTW Atelier Manager at Ferragamo; Tiziana Cardini, fashion critic for Vogue Runway and Vogue.com; and Marco Rambaldi, Co-Owner & Creative Director of his eponymous brand.
The winner will be announced on June 26 across all of Polimoda’s official channels.
Collaborations and special guests
Event production is entrusted to a top-tier team that includes creative direction by Massimiliano Giornetti, styling by Serge Girardi, and sound design by Frédéric Sanchez.
This year’s edition is further enriched by special collaborations with international media and content creators—such as Bliss Foster, Fashion Roadman, Ideservecouture, 1 Granary, Next Gen Magazine, and Vogue Italia—with the aim of spotlighting and promoting the creative voices of Polimoda’s new graduates on a global stage.
The event will also welcome numerous personalities from the entertainment world, including Thomas Asueni, Giorgio Belli, Bnkr44, Rocco Fasano, Gianluca Gori, Martina Lampugnani, Jenny De Nucci, Ruben Mulet Porena, Carola Puddu, Eleonora Riso, Matteo Santorum, and Seydou Sarr.
All these ingredients make the Polimoda Graduate Show 2025 a must-attend event for those seeking innovation and creativity. The runway show was live-streamed on Polimoda’s official channels in collaboration with Vogue Italia.
Information for the public: www.polimoda.com/research/graduate-show-2025