By Jelizaveta Demcakova and Francesca Trovato. Cover image by Giada Pacini.
In the third millennium, everything is expected to be functional. Practical. Convenient. We check the time by glancing at our smartphone screens. On our wrists, we wear fitness trackers. On our fingers, Oura rings that dutifully report our sleep quality, stress levels, and—incidentally—our quality of life. We’ve swapped patent leather loafers for sneakers. Heels? The same ones I never really learned to walk in, and that now feel slightly out of place. Hair is deliberately messy, “undone,” as dictated by the runways. Jewelry has given way to costume pieces. Wristwatches have drifted into the realm of aesthetics, collecting, or mild pretension—locked away in a safe.
The fleeting nature of trends. The cyclical nature of fashion. And the central question: where has all this led us, and why? We’ve become more rational, more mobile, more efficient. But somewhere along the way, we lost our sense of festivity. Not as a form, but as permission—to simply be. We want to bring back a little more excess. A little more “unnecessary.” A little more beauty for beauty’s sake. And to make that normal again.
Rethinking Accessory Design: A Global Competition for Emerging Designers
The world needs more creatives and more genuine fashion ideas. This open call is an invitation to rethink. Design. Achieve. Istituto Marangoni Firenze, together with Sara Sozzani Maino, is launching the Innovative Accessories Challenge—an international competition for designers under 30 from around the world who are ready to rethink accessories as a design language. Not as a complement to an outfit, but as an independent statement.
In this vision, an accessory is not something that “completes the look.” It’s what starts the conversation. What exists outside the logic of necessity. What restores our right to excess. The initiative was presented yesterday during the launch talk, in a conversation about the strategic importance of accessories today—from both a creative and production perspective—with Francesca Giulia Tavanti, Director of Education at Istituto Marangoni Firenze; Nicolò Beretta, shoe designer and founder of Giannico; Niccolò Pasqualetti, Designer and Creative Director of his namesake brand; and Stefano Giacomelli, CEO of Tivoli Group and Vice President of Assopellettieri, moderated by journalist Francesca Delogu.
Inside the Innovative Accessories Challenge: Meet the Jury of Top Fashion Experts
Projects will be evaluated by a jury of leading industry professionals, including Nicolò Beretta (Founder and Designer of Giannico), Giuliano Calza (Founder and Creative Director of GCDS), and Niccolò Pasqualetti (Designer and Creative Director of his eponymous brand). The challenge is open to designers under 30 and welcomes emerging creatives from around the world. Participants are invited to push beyond traditional boundaries and preconceived notions, exploring accessories not only in terms of function, but also through their conceptual, material, and design-driven potential.
The initiative promotes an innovative approach that moves past pure functionality, positioning the accessory as an independent design system. Designers are encouraged to combine creative experimentation with material research, a forward-looking attitude toward innovation, and a keen ability to interpret cultural shifts and evolving production processes within the fashion industry.
Win a Full Scholarship and Bring Your Innovative Accessories to Life
The selected designer will be awarded a concrete opportunity to turn ideas into reality. The prize includes a full scholarship to the Master in Luxury Accessories Design Management at Istituto Marangoni Firenze, along with the full development of the submitted project. Supported by Istituto Marangoni Firenze’s technical and production teams, the winning designer will be guided through every stage of the process—from prototyping to the creation of the final accessory.
Applications officially open on January 14, 2026. The open call is already available on the official Istituto Marangoni website.
Participants’ work will be reviewed by those who actively shape this language: Paul Andrew, whose career at Salvatore Ferragamo and Avery redefined footwear as art; Giuliano Calza of GCDS, who turned kitsch into the new luxury; Edward Buchanan, the creative force behind Bottega Veneta’s recent aesthetic; Nicolò Beretta, Creative Director of Santoni, where classics become manifestos; Niccolò Pasqualetti from Tom Ford, where every detail is a gesture; Anna Dello Russo, for whom fashion is a way of being rather than a profession; Sabrina Scarpellini, whose vision influences how we see fashion today; and, of course, Sara Sozzani Maino—a woman who knows how to turn an idea into a movement.
Expert Advice for Emerging Designers Applying at The Innovative Accessories Challenge
Before inviting participants to create, the jury shared a few words of advice during the launch talk. Nicolò Beretta, designer and founder of Giannico, said: “I’m very happy to see a challenge dedicated exclusively to accessories—about time! My advice is to be as spontaneous as possible. Start before you feel ready. Throw yourselves into this creative world.” Niccolò Pasqualetti, Designer and Creative Director of his namesake brand, added: “If you have passion, things happen. Don’t rule out any possibility.”
Finally, Stefano Giacomelli, CEO of Tivoli Group—one of Italy’s leading independent players in the development and production of leather goods—shared an industry perspective: “From this competition, I expect novelty, a strong creative and cultural vision, and the right value placed on craftsmanship—recognizing the importance of the product itself.”
The Innovative Accessories Challenge is a space for experimentation and exchange, where accessories become fertile ground for new design visions—and for the future of design, shaped by the designers of tomorrow.
Perhaps now, when everything is optimized to the extreme, when every object must be “smart,” multifunctional, and justified, we actually need useless things. Beautiful simply because they are. Existing for their own sake. The Innovative Accessories Challenge is an invitation to bring poetry back into the wardrobe. A reminder that fashion doesn’t always have to solve problems. Sometimes, its job is to create desire—and to let wristwatches come out of the safe again.
INFO
Innovative Accessories Challenge by Istituto Marangoni Firenze
Open until April 30, 2026
APPLY HERE
