A Look Back. Freedom Guides Young: Istituto Marangoni Firenze Fashion Show 2021

Future Landscape is the title chosen for the fashion show by Istituto Marangoni Firenze in 2021, which took place in conjunction with the 100^th edition of the famous Florentine event Pitti Uomo. The catwalk took place on 7 July at the Tepidarium del Roster, in the heart of the Horticultural Garden in Florence. The runway featured the best designers from the 2021 Fashion Design & Accessories programme at Istituto Marangoni Firenze. In the article, the students of the same School recount the event through a heartfelt first-person narration.

by Bianca Magistrali & Amira Rossi. Cover Image: Filippo Barbagallo, 2021. Photo credits: Andrea Cresci | Take Off Production

Everything was expected.
It was the July 7 of the current year. Reading my agenda, overwhelmed by a thousand appointments, I noticed one in particular. The Fashion Show of my School, Istituto Marangoni Firenze, would take place that exact day, at 6:30 pm.
I had already planned and defined everything for that day, from the public transport I should take to my beauty salon appointment.
Everything was planned, except that one thing that would completely and deeply change our routine. Our journey into the future.
Towards Future Landscape.
You didn’t see me, but I was there.
You may not have heard my voice or my applause.
You may not even remember what dress I was wearing, or the trail of my perfume. Perhaps you have not noticed the thrills I got at the sight of those gorgeous dresses, the result of months of work and years of dreams.
Do you know why it didn’t happen? Because I was not physically there.
But, spiritually, I was (as well as behind the screen of my iPhone).
I was there, not only because I’m from the same generation as the ten emerging fashion designers selected by the school who had the opportunity to show their collections to an audience last summer.
I was there, as were all those who saw themselves in that futuristic landscape with me. Like someone who has seen truth or at least hope behind every seam and behind every thread sewn through the fabrics with anxiety, ingenuity and passion.
I was there; we were all there indeed.

Sitting right next to me, was another young student.
I looked at her and, in her green eyes, I could see the same impatience that filled mine. Maybe we already knew each other.
I wondered what programme she may attend. She was watching me, too. However, despite thousands of hypotheses and theories, a single glance was enough to understand that we would soon become friends in that unique adventure that was about to begin.
Savouring the liberty flavour of the Roster’s Tepidarium, we, two students, in front of all this as fascinated spectators.

A reserved front row seat, ready to be teleported to another universe.
Filled with emotion and excitement.
The goosebumps, the stress and pleasure of the wait, the fear that it might go wrong. Yet, in front of us, the calm, perhaps apparent: a catwalk ready to be walked, and minimal background graphics.
Then everything became real. Everything was immanent, alive, vibrating and creating things.
The girl sitting next to me and I looked at each other amazed and thrilled.
“Where are we?” she asked, but the only thing I could answer was: “Where are we going?”.
Our route became instantly clear as the first lights were projected onto a digital wall and the first few models walked down the runway to the beating rhythm of the background music.
Ten designers.
About thirty minutes of runway show. An unexpected route led by young creative minds, each with their own vision, but sharing a desire for freedom.

Balanced on a thread between reality and multimedia effects. Strong, full colours. Avant-guard. Sensuality. Volumes, cuts, and messages. Femininity and orientalism. Manga and new classical ideals. Technique and creativity. But above all, emotion and style. And dreams that you can touch.
Some leveraged the trends of the moment, offering must-have wardrobe items such as blazers and trousers as palazzo pyjamas.
Some followed the popular streetwear trend, but with their personal take on it. Others bravely decided to tell trends to “go to hell” by favouring their own background or concept. Yes: to hell!
Thinking about it, we didn’t only see fashion, not only tailoring. Artistic influences and reworks were at the heart of this performance. It was supreme.
The awareness of a constantly changing world, a world we always need to keep up with, where digitisation is becoming more and more popular, but where the power of the New Human wins.

Yet, as in every journey worthy of its name, the end always comes.
You wake up from the dream and reflect.
Reflect on what you saw, what you felt. And the two of us now, we’re together.
Something has moved.
Those ten young designers shook us to the core.
We are positively annoyed.
Satisfied. Not just of belonging to their generation, our generation.

We looked at each other.
Strangers as we were, we became more united than ever.
United not only by the flood of sensations that overwhelmed us both in just half an hour.
But united by a new hope.
The hope of believing in the future.
A whole new future. A future where expression will replace the word fear with freedom.
Our future.
Thanks to all of you ten young fashion designers.
Thank you Istituto Marangoni Firenze. Because everything was planned.

Bianca Magistrali and Amira Rossi are undergraduate students in Fashion Styling & Creative Direction at Istituto Marangoni Firenze.