By Rebecca Ceccatelli. Cover image Milano Moda Graduate.

This year’s NIC Award, the platform that scouts the next wave of Italian fashion for the Japanese market, found its center of gravity in a quiet, finely calibrated collection: HYPHEN by Giulia Lin. Lin won over the jury with a project defined by technical research, material sensitivity, and an unusual conceptual discipline for such an emerging name — particularly her innovative approach to textiles, where hand-quilting, deadstock fabrics, and reinterpreted knit textures turn material into a narrative.

A Fashion Design student at Istituto Marangoni Firenze, she works with one foot in the school’s studios and the other in the mills of Prato, absorbing the rhythms of a district where fabric is still a living economy. That double vantage point — industry and intimacy, macro-economy and private life — forms the backbone of HYPHEN, a collection that probes the fragile seam between work and self, between uniform and second skin. Her garments seem to inhabit that unstable “in-between,” suggesting shields, aprons, officewear and off-duty pieces all at once.

Fresh off her win, Lin spoke with us about how she translated shift schedules and burnout into pattern-making, why she treats textiles like personal diaries, and what it means to build a career in fashion at a moment when the very idea of work is being renegotiated.

Craft Luxury & Italian Heritage: How Giulia Lin Builds a Conscious Design Practice

Giulia, first of all, congratulations on your award! Could you briefly tell us about your educational journey and what inspired you to pursue Fashion Design? Was it a calling from the start, or something that developed gradually?

Thank you so much! I have been studying at Istituto Marangoni Firenze, and I just completed the three-year undergraduate course in Fashion Design and Accessories. I’ve been interested in fashion since I was a child, mainly through drawing, but things became clearer in high school, when I started studying design in a more structured way.

Growing up in a family where both of my parents work in the fashion industry definitely shaped my path. I had the chance to see how garments take shape from a very young age, which helped me understand the process early on. Studying at Istituto Marangoni Firenze allowed me to develop that foundation, refine my skills, and gradually build my own design language. Over time, it all felt natural — fashion design stopped being something I simply enjoyed and became what I knew I wanted to fully dedicate myself to.

What does inspiration mean to you? Do you have any rituals that support your creativity?

For me, inspiration comes from observing the world around me — real experiences, people, everyday moments. I live in Prato, a hub of Italy’s textile industry, full of workshops and suppliers. Seeing the fast rhythm of the fashion system — fabric development, sample-making, rapid production cycles — slowly settles in my mind and becomes the starting point for design ideas.

I don’t have a strict ritual; I simply observe how people move, how they work, how they interact. The rich variety of fabrics available in Prato also plays a big role. Touching materials, understanding their weight and texture, helps me translate ideas into concrete garments quickly and keeps my work grounded in reality.

Sustainability Through Craft: Designing with Deadstock Fabrics

Which materials and techniques did you focus on for HYPHEN, and why?

For this collection, I used fabrics exclusively from the Prato textile district. They are all deadstock and often available in very limited quantities — sometimes just a single roll. I wanted to make the most of what already exists, reduce waste, and give each piece its own character.

One of the standout elements is the hand-quilting, which took over 200 hours of work. I reinterpreted a knit texture I had previously used for the Feel the Yarn Contest, translating it into quilting to achieve a different visual and tactile effect. The contrast between what you see and what you feel reflects the concept of the collection: people’s ideals don’t always match reality, and the friction between everyday pressures and personal goals creates tension. That tension is exactly what I wanted the garments to express.

The Concept Behind HYPHEN: Balancing Work, Life, and Identity

HYPHEN has been described as a balance of aesthetics and technical research. What is the core idea behind the collection?

HYPHEN explores the search for balance between work and personal life in a fast-paced environment. The concept was partly inspired by observing the Prato textile district, where rapid workflows often make it difficult to carve out personal time. But it also reflects my own experience — the struggle to find equilibrium.

The title comes from the keyboard symbol: a hyphen connects two sides and creates a space in between, almost like an invisible bridge between work and life. The collection inhabits that in-between space, refusing to choose one or the other.

When Italian Craft Meets Contemporary Pressure: Pattern-Making as Storytelling

You explore the tension between personal expectations and social pressures. How did this shape the concrete designs in HYPHEN?

Throughout the design process, I combined structured, formal elements of officewear with the softness of loungewear. Contrasts in silhouette, proportions, and layering allow these opposites to coexist. This dynamic balance mirrors how people constantly shift between roles and adjust to the rhythm of everyday life.

Textures, Tailoring and Identity: The Key Details Behind Lin’s Design Language

Are there specific cuts, textures, or details that symbolize the contrast between individual identity and society’s expectations?

Structurally, I deconstructed elements of officewear and loungewear and recombined them through displacement and repositioning. I introduced asymmetric silhouettes, exaggerated details, and exposed linings to disrupt the usual logic of a garment and create a sense of imbalance.

As for textures, I used crisp and striped fabrics to reference office precision, while satin, knits, and padded materials introduce softness. The contrast in shine, weight, and touch creates natural tension, allowing the garments to express subtle shifts both visually and physically.

A New Generation of Craft-Conscious Designers

What message do you hope people take away when seeing HYPHEN on the runway?

I hope to convey a sense of a relaxed “in-between” state. Today, people are pulled in many directions — meeting expectations while wanting comfort and freedom. By mixing structured and more comfortable elements, the garments express that possible balance both visually and physically.

I want people to feel that switching between roles doesn’t have to be extreme. You can move comfortably and find your own rhythm between work and life, responsibility and self.

Now that you’re recognized as a promising young designer, what are your short-term and long-term goals?

I haven’t officially graduated yet — I’m still finishing my thesis. In the short term, I want to continue developing this collection, making more garments and improving their wearability. Even though I’ve presented HYPHEN three times already, there are still ideas I want to expand.

I’m also preparing for more design competitions to keep challenging myself and gaining practical experience. Now that I have more time and energy, I can explore concepts I couldn’t before.

In the long term, I originally studied fashion design to contribute to my family’s company. But now, I also want to develop my own projects and eventually build my own brand — something that will take time to plan and execute properly.