CLASS OF 2023: Instituto Marangoni London

Instituto Marangoni London unveiled it’s graduate collections of 2023 under the banner, “DISRUPT/DISTORT” ten students pushed their clothing into the Metaverse. Each of the students presented six designs that previewed London’s fashion future. A true celebration of the designers of tomorrow, who are conscious, forward-thinking and tech-savvy. But most of all, they are optimistic and determined to express new utopian ideals through their creations, a personal reflection on the future driven by the contamination between fashion, technology and environment.

The avant-garde school, which originated in Milan, now boasts campuses in Florence, Paris, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Miami, and Dubai, and fosters a global network of cultural exchanges, education and collaboration. Istituto Marangoni engages students through experiential learning by means of programmes involving influential stakeholders in the creative industries. The acclaimed menswear designer, Grace Wales Bonner is a current mentor for the London school and joins a distinguished group that has included the likes of Olivier Rousteing of Balmain for the Paris school and eminent British journalist, stylist and creative director, Katie Grand, for London last year. The July runway show was a progressive event, highlighting the significance of firsthand industry experience, mentorship in education, and the future potential of contemporary advancements.

Jiaxi Zhuang

Jiaxi Zhuang

Jiaxi Zhuang

Anna Savchenko

Collection: Not Broken

Anna focused on using paper materials to apply the concept of sustainability to fashion. She got inspired by the concept of resilience over fragility to overcome struggles and conflicts. The garments were crafted by manipulating waterproof and water-soluble papers over layers of newspapers draped to resemble shattered glass windows. By carefully studying the material to create a technique, Anna Savchenko turned the fragility of the media into a strength, resulting in innovative designs.

Anna Savchenko

Anna Savchenko

Anna Savchenko

Hamootal Blair

Hamootal Blair

Hamootal Blair

Giju Kim

Collection: Rebirth of Don Quixote

The Spanish epic novel of the 17th century Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, inspired Giju’s collection concept. Giju interpreted the delusional dream of an older man who undertook an epic journey to chase the long-time gone knighthood. As a designer, Giju Kim portrayed his vision and ambitions in fashion through an idealistic knight walking the runway. In garments, Giju deconstructed the tailoring design of menswear with oversized capes, jackets and shirts to symbolise Don Quixote’s wounds over failures and disillusions, playing with fabric layers envisioning a textiles-made armour walking down the runway.

Ummehani Kanchwala

Ummehani Kanchwala

Ummehani Kanchwala

Hyun Jik Yoo

Collection: Psychopathic Murderer, Jack the Ripper

Hyun drew inspiration from London’s most famous serial killer Jack the Ripper, who operated around the Whitechapel district, exploring the area’s darker past. The designer’s curiosity about the identity of Jack the Ripper led him to develop a collection focused on dark atmosphere, contradiction, knowledge of anatomy, and ostentatiousness. Adjusting the concept to the garments, Hyun Jik created an interchangeable silhouette that worked with drawstrings, straps, and collars to simulate the murderer’s hidden identity under oversized shapes with skilled tailoring and manipulation skills. He used a variety of fabrics and textures, such as rough wool, tweed, felt, jersey organza and gabardine showing extensive knowledge of materials and a dark colour palette to create a frightful mood.

Hyun Jik Yoo

Hyun Jik Yoo

Hyun Jik Yoo

Natalie Kabeláčová

Natalie Kabeláčová

Natalie Kabeláčová

Natalie Kabeláčová

Angelynne Andersen

Collection: Shedding

Angelynne was inspired by the natural process of shedding or discarding as a vital process of regeneration and transformation of all living beings. She worked on the aesthetic aspect of the natural shedding transforming into fabrics. Through research, Angelynne Viorenique Andersen and the Canadian artist, David Altmjed, incorporated art expression with fashion design. Working with different yarns, Angelynne exceeded manipulation of losing garments and scrap fabrics, showing high performance in traditional knitting techniques, needle works, crochet and cobweb with a personal illusion of shedding in vibrant and contrasting colours.

Angelynne Andersen