1 Granary Design Awards 2026

Abnit Nijjar has spent the last decade working in senior design positions at the most respected houses in Paris and Milan, such as Head of Design Womenswear Pre-Collection at Bottega Veneta, Womenswear Design Director at Jil Sander, and Senior Designer for Runway at Céline during Phoebe Philo’s tenure. A graduate of CSM and the RCA, she describes her work as defined by a rigorous approach to construction and a distinct womenswear perspective.

Alberto Dalla Colletta is the VP of RTW and Haute Couture at Dior. Prior to this he was Design Director of RTW at Loewe, as well as holding design roles at Raf Simons, Celine and Prada. A graduate of Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, his experience spans the full design process of men's and womenswear, from research and concept development to fabric selection, toiles, technical drawings and working with ateliers and pattern makers. His career combines hands-on design with product development and cross-functional collaboration across both runway and commercial collections.

Alessia Pellarini is a design leader with more than 25 years in luxury fashion and a creative consultant to Louis Vuitton and Celine. She spent over a decade at Fendi, first as Design Director working alongside Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi, before becoming Creative Director under Kim Jones. Before that, she held senior design roles at Prada, Chloé and Tommy Hilfiger. Educated at CSM, LCF and Istituto Marangoni, her work has covered RTW, couture, accessories and image direction. She describes her approach as translating a brand's heritage into contemporary collections through technical experimentation.

Alithia Spuri-Zampetti is a design director specialising in womenswear. Previously, she was Head of Design at Alexander McQueen, working across show, pre-collection, VIP and couture, following earlier roles at Lanvin, Bottega Veneta and Valentino. A graduate of CSM, she has worked across every stage of the design process, from concept development and draping to fittings, product development and visual direction. Alongside her industry work, she has guest-lectured at her alma mater, as well as IFM, Parsons Paris and the École de la Couture Parisienne.

Christopher Rawstron is a British menswear designer working between London and Paris. A graduate of CSM, he worked across tailoring, sportswear, leather, shoes and accessories at Tom Ford, where he started as Menswear Senior Designer before becoming Menswear Design Director in 2017. Prior to this, he has worked at Burberry and Kenzo. He defines his work as bringing desirable luxury and real-world functionality to the collections of the industry’s leading houses.

Francesca Nicoletti is Design Director of RTW at Miu Miu, a brand she has spent more than 15 years inside. She joined the Prada Group brand's design studio as an intern in 2010 and progressed through assistant, junior and senior design roles, becoming director in 2025. Her experience spans the full process of RTW design and collection development. She is a graduate of Istituto Marangoni in Milan, where she studied fashion design. 

Georgia Keepax is a designer and knitwear design consultant with more than 20 years' experience working across the luxury fashion industry at brands like Lanvin, Burberry, Stella McCartney, Prada and Givenchy. Throughout her career, she has worked across RTW, haute couture, retail and wholesale collections, following the development of knitwear from initial concept through to production fittings and retail. A graduate of the RCA, her work combines design leadership with close collaboration across product development and manufacturing, informed by experience working with factories in Italy and Asia.

Giacomo Cavallari is Menswear RTW Design Director at Valentino, defining the creative direction and product development of the house’s menswear collections across all ready-to-wear categories and celebrity projects. After graduating in Menswear from Central Saint Martins, he started his career at Tom Ford, followed by nine years at Gucci, where he joined as a Senior Tailoring Designer and gradually expanded his remit into menswear celebrity dressing, becoming Head of Tailoring and VIP and, later, Director across VIP and the main collection.

Harley Hughes is Design Director of Menswear at Givenchy. A graduate of Kingston University, he joined Margiela in 1997, where he helped establish the house's menswear line. He later joined Yves Saint Laurent under Tom Ford and Stefano Pilati before becoming Design Director of Menswear, Bags and Shoes at Alexander McQueen. He has overseen the development of complete collections, working across tailoring, accessories and leather goods. He describes his approach as grounded in research, craftsmanship and collaboration, having worked through the transition from analogue studio practices to today's global luxury fashion industry.

Jonathan Ailwood has worked in luxury fashion for over two decades. Currently Design Director of Couture and VIP at Gucci, under the creative direction of Demna, he was also Head Designer of Haute Couture at Schiaparelli and Head Designer of Couture at Cartier. Previously, Ailwood held design roles at Dior, John Galliano and Carven, alongside consultancy work for Hermès. A graduate of the University of New South Wales, his experience spans Haute Couture, menswear and womenswear ready to wear and accessories.

Julia Hall is a consultant, who previously worked as Design Director of Menswear and Womenswear RTW at McQueen, where she oversaw the house's woven design teams, VIP projects and special projects. Prior to that, she held senior design roles at Victoria Beckham, Paul Smith, Celine, and Balenciaga, alongside freelance design direction for brands. A graduate of CSM, she has worked across all stages of collection development, from concept, draping and fabric development to fittings, styling, production and merchandising. Her career has combined creative leadership with hands-on design, alongside teaching and mentoring emerging designers.

Katia Marchetti has over 30 years’ experience inside the industry's most respected brands. She is currently the Head of Collection at Louis Vuitton, following two decades at Prada and Miu Miu. Her experience spans the collection development process, from initial concept and design through to prototypes, fittings and final collection set-up. Trained in art and fabric design in Milan, she has worked across different product categories and describes her approach as combining creative direction with an awareness of the market.

Martina Tiefenthaler is a creative consultant, former Chief Creative Officer at Balenciaga, and an early member of Vetements. During her time at Balenciaga, she worked closely with Demna, overseeing creative strategy across ready-to-wear, accessories, campaigns, retail and image. Before this, she held positions at Louis Vuitton under Marc Jacobs and Nicolas Ghesquière, and was part of the womenswear team at Margiela. A graduate of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, her work combines creative direction, creative strategies, image direction, design and organisational consulting. As a coach, she supports creative professionals in accessing creativity and long-term career development.

Oden Wilson is a freelance design consultant. He was recently Design Director of Womenswear Pre-Collection and Capsule Collections at Loewe, where he led the research, design and development of collections. A graduate of CSM, where he studied under Louise Wilson, his career has taken him through every stage of the womenswear design process, holding positions at Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Celine, Lanvin, Jil Sander and Marni. His in-studio experience spans concept development, draping, fabric research, fittings and collection leadership, with a focus on craftsmanship, construction and innovative approaches to design and a particular interest in colour and silhouette.

Risto Bimbiloski is the Design Director of knitwear at Loewe. Over a career spanning three decades, he has worked on knitwear for Balenciaga, Victoria Beckham, Courrèges, Maison Margiela, Kenzo, Louis Vuitton and Jean Paul Gaultier, among others, across both womenswear and menswear. A graduate of Duperré in Paris, Bimbiloski began his career in the studios of Thierry Mugler and Jean Colonna.

Sante Bozzo is Design Director of Womenswear at Gucci, where he leads the development of the house's RTW collections in close collaboration with Demna. He previously worked under Alessandro Michele’s leadership, before leaving to join Miu Miu as Senior Womenswear Designer, then returning to Gucci in 2025. A graduate of IED in Rome, he has worked in luxury womenswear for over a decade across the full collection process, from research, fabric development and silhouette to fittings, merchandising and runway presentation. Bozzo describes his practice as combining creative vision with close collaboration across design, product development and atelier teams to ensure consistency throughout a collection. 

Sarah Zigrand is a footwear designer whose career has focused on luxury shoe design across women's and men's collections. Most recently Design Director of Shoes at Loewe, she has previously led footwear design at Jil Sander, Stella McCartney, Celine and Dries Van Noten. A graduate of the RCA, she has worked across show collections, pre-collections, sneakers and accessories, collaborating directly with creative directors such as Jonathan Anderson, Phoebe Philo, Stella McCartney and Lucie and Luke Meier. Her practice involves exploring ideas through hand sketching, photo-rendering and three-dimensional mock-ups, placing craftsmanship and collaborative studio practice at the fore.

Sasha Kanevskyi is a designer whose career spans luxury outerwear, denim, footwear and independent fashion. Most recently, he was Design Director at Stone Island. Previously, he spent five years as Senior Designer at Yeezy and ran his own label in Kyiv from 2008 to 2017, overseeing design, production and sales. A graduate of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, his experience spans research, patternmaking, fittings, material development and collection direction.

Scott Arnold is Design Director at Totême, where he leads the design of the brand's ready-to-wear and accessories collections. Before joining Totême, he held senior design roles at Burberry, Victoria Beckham and Céline under Phoebe Philo. A graduate of CSM, his experience spans the full design process, from initial concept through to the finished product and its expression across the brand. With experience that combines design direction with hands-on collection development and studio leadership, he describes his role as shaping seasonal creative narratives while ensuring coherence across product categories and the wider brand identity.

Thi Wan is Senior Design Director at Thom Browne, where he oversees the development of the house's men's and women's collections. Working closely with the Creative Director, he guides projects from initial concept and narrative through to design and execution. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, where he later taught, Wan began his career in tailoring, which has become foundational to his approach to design. He describes his work as combining storytelling with craftsmanship and precision, with collections developed through close collaboration across the creative process.

Valentin Parnetzki is Head of Design for Womenswear at Lemaire, where he oversees the development of the house's women's ready-to-wear collections. Previously he worked in the studios of Maison Margiela, under John Galliano, and Chloé, during Natacha Ramsay-Levi’s tenure. Educated at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, his background spans artisanal craftsmanship, luxury ready-to-wear and contemporary fashion, with experience across both collection development and studio leadership.

Yohji van der Aa, Design Director of Menswear at Bottega Veneta, leads the house’s menswear collections under the creative direction of Louise Trotter. A graduate of Utrecht School of the Arts and ArtEZ University of the Arts, he previously held design roles at Jil Sander, Celine, Burberry and Acne Studios, working across both menswear and womenswear. Throughout his career, he has preferred the idea of wardrobe building over collection making, approaching design through the lens of the character. His approach to fashion is inherently eclectic, built on the interplay of character, juxtaposition, material, reference and craft. It is from the mixing of these elements that his design language emerges. 

Zöe Donald is a design director with extensive experience working inside top Parisian brands. Previously, she was Head of Womenswear at Carven and Lacoste, following senior design roles at Joseph and Nicole Farhi. A graduate of the Royal College of Art and Edinburgh College of Art, she has worked across tailoring, outerwear, leather, knitwear and jersey, as well as accessories and footwear. Her experience spans the full collection process, from research and concept development to styling, fabric development, manufacturing and merchandising.