IED presents Reflect at Pitti Immagine Uomo 102: multiplying faces, reflections and perspectives

On Wednesday, 15 June, on the occasion of the summer edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo, IED presented Reflect to the international public, an event featuring ten capsule collections designed by Fashion Design students of the different campuses.

A reflection to start all over again from the basics, opening up to others with greater awareness and a convivial, inclusive spirit. This, in short, is the leitmotif of the Reflect event, where the reflection is indeed an image reflected by a mirror but also an invitation to personal reflection.

A mirror installation gave form to the event’s concept: a large mirror wall amplified the interplay of multiple reflections, asymmetries and colours. For one evening Piazza Ognissanti was thus transformed into a living kaleidoscope that amplified perspectives, reflecting the city and opening up its views. The pleasure of spending time with others was thus experienced in an open-air lounge.

The installation was the setting for a static performance dedicated to the presentation of ten capsule collections curated by IED Fashion Design students: an introspective tale that, starting from the reflection of the individual, takes shape in the exhibited outfits.

Chiara Autiero - Cagliari

Kaì stems from a profound reflection on life's cyclical nature and transience, which is approached through a three-chapter journey to understand how the individual can leave their mark on time and space. These reflections were then concretely represented in the designs through minimal geometry and primary colours, such as black and white.

Giacomo di Paolo - Barcellona

The inspiration of pop iconography is a reference to the queerness of Giaco’s eight Pop Porn looks, featuring easily recognisable fabrics such as denim, leather or fleece combined with extreme silhouettes and more wearable garments.

Olalla Garcia Robles - Madrid

Seis y Cuatro, a collection of women’s ready-to-wear apparel and accessories that mainly recounts the development of a new design methodology. The collection put the process into the limelight, without getting ahead of the result, to create unexpected and unique garments. This methodology lies in the dissection of images into their most simplified and pure shapes and the act of experimenting with them. It challenges whoever tries it to look at the design exercise through a different glass. Simultaneously the project develops a textile research line that showcases the ideas of “line” and “matter/vacuum”, notions that take part in the process of this method itself. This vision culminates in a collection in which functionality and comfort coexist. Unusual pattern making, organic and one-of-a-kind hand prints resulting from the upcycling of knitted garments and uncontrolled screen printing developed by the designer herself.

Paolo Belleri - Firenze

Anestetico: The departure is always a leap in the dark. We do not know where we are going and what we will become. At that moment, we are blank canvases ready to be painted. Paolo translated this concept by creating a trench coat, a garment that has always reminded him of the concept of travelling.

Federica Tomei - Roma

You May As Well Bloom represents the sense of nothingness, bewilderment, and trying to get out of a situation without initially succeeding. This is where adaptation comes in. In the dark, our eyes strain to be able to see. This is the only way to navigate obstacles: by adapting.

Francesca Caranzano - Torino

Indoor Generation Re-Drawing Reality is the reworking of printed and recovered fabrics by means of artisanal embroidery and overprinting techniques. The use of these quasi-artistic methods, such as the airbrush, produces graphic plays of overlapping, making the garment a unique piece.

Riccardo Cotta and Matteo Mojana - Como

Helter Kobayashi develops from a fictitious character who goes through a series of adventures that help him understand different concepts such as prejudices, stereotypes, personal dualism, masks and questioning the aesthetic codes of contemporary society. The two macro stylistic influences come from the 1990s, in particular the street pop of Shibuya and the dark Goth of Los Angeles. The resulting fashion product is, therefore, a mix of these two subcultures according to the students' specific interpretative key.

Rodrigo Evangelista - San Paolo

Feral is inspired by a famous party in Rio called "A Noite dos Leopardos" (The Leopards' night), created by Eloína dos Leopardos. From this universe, Rodrigo explored the relationship between instinct and rational, human and animal, and developed new animal print patterns in a more artistic and pop version. With this collection, the intention was to bring up subjects that remain a taboo in our society, such as sexual freedom and the awareness of the new generation that has not experienced the peak of STDs.

Giulia di Bitonto - Milano

In her project, Persona, a number of letters from the Korean alphabet are analysed: each is associated with an interesting word that is consistent with the theme. These words are broken down into syllables and then into letters. The individual letters are turned upside down, reflected, sometimes repeated and used for the construction of silhouettes that will later form patterns. The syllables that make up the names, chosen according to the semantic field to which they refer, represent a sort of NOMEN OMEN for the bearer and, in a way, decide what their place in the community will be.

Erica Rosa - Rio de Janeiro

Love collection is made of light, floating, comfortable fabrics such as silk, neoprene and tulle, filled with pink hearts, cut and applied manually. Pink is the colour of emotions, affection, understanding, companionship and romance. This collection was developed especially for the moment we are all experiencing. Fear of the future, wars, and climate collapse all claim the power of love to regenerate human relations. Whole and broken hearts represent reconstruction and the importance of love in our lives.

The result is ten looks where functionality and sustainability coexist: unusual patterns, organic and unique handmade prints resulting from the upcycling of knitwear and screen prints.

The event was sponsored by the City of Florence and Pitti Immagine Uomo.