Loro Piana is back with their 9th edition of their Knit Design Award, a yearly contest that invites young designers from fashion schools around the world to give their take on the Maison’s knitwear expertise using the iconic yarns. The prize? A scholarship, a chance to work at the renowned house, and the opportunity to complete their design project at Loro Piana’s knitwear factory in Piedmont alongside their artisans. As always, the stakes were high.
The concept this year was: “Winter Legacy – Translating Linen into Heritage Knitwear.” Linen took centre stage, with the students being judged on how they could creatively incorporate the summer textile with traditional Loro Piana winter yarns to create an original piece that struck the perfect balance between tradition and innovation, functionality and craftsmanship. They were spoilt for choice when it came to fabrics, with a wide selection of the house’s finest textiles and yarns to choose from.
From design schools in Hong Kong to New York and several places in between, the designers gathered from across the globe to present their projects on the 13th of May to a star-studded jury that includes CEO of Loro Piana Damien Bertrand as President. The winners were announced the next day at a special event held in Casa degli Artisti in Milan, under the patronage of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana.
Morgan Boyce and Simone Rizzato from the Italian school Accademia Costume e Moda came out on top with their project “Paracadute.” Inspired by the connection between the two students and the heritage of linen, they started with Boyce’s experience of working with WW2 military parachutes that used linen as the base, which were later repurposed to create dresses for communities. They tapped into this unexpected heritage of linen in a functional, militant context that was later reimagined, telling the story of transformation and resilience. It was all about juxtaposition with their experimentation of lightness and structure, putting summer-associated linen at the forefront of a winter project driven by Loro Piana’s signature winter cashmere to create a truly seasonless piece that combines tradition and innovation, the past and the present.
Make sure you check out all the projects that were present.
Images via Loro Piana ©
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