ACCADEMIA COSTUME & MODA BA 2026: MEMORY AND MATERIAL

Published Apr 13, 2026

This year’s ACM BA designers approach fashion as a space where personal research, material experimentation, and critical reflection meet. Their collections draw on an eclectic mix of different cultural touch points – nomadism, sport, childhood memory, female identity, archives, subculture, translating them into work that is tactile, conceptually rigorous, and emotionally precise.

Benedetta Boidi

Benedetta Boidi’s collection is inspired by the concept of nomadism, explored through both a historical and iconographic investigation and a reflection on its evolution into the present day, creating a dialogue between past and future. Materiality plays a central role, with a focus on durable fabrics such as leather, alongside shearling and upcycled fur, combined with resin-coated cotton, jersey, and vintage-effect denim. Colour is equally significant, particularly in look one, where three different tones are intentionally combined. Collaborations with industry companies such as Goretti, for leather weaving and stud applications, and Wash Italia, for washed denim with a vintage finish and faux leather detailing, further shaped the work. Through these processes, the collection reflects a continuous exchange between materials, cultures, and time, shaping garments as evolving, nomadic identities. What concerns Boidi most about the contemporary fashion system is the increasing centralisation of creative power within large conglomerates, where brand identity appears shaped more by commercial imperatives than by genuine creative vision, and the pressure to constantly produce risks overshadowing experimentation and research. She is also unsettled by the speed at which the system now operates, with accelerated production cycles and continuous collections leaving little room for reflection and depth. Yet this awareness is exactly what drives her: she enters the field with clarity and intention, fully conscious of its contradictions, believing strongly in the value of personal vision, in research as a necessary process, and in fashion as a form of critical and cultural expression.

@benniboidi

Benedetta Braghetti

Benedetta Braghetti’s collection, Zenit, takes its name from the Arabic word for “the direction of the head”, meaning the moment of maximum elevation, and draws inspiration from diving, her sport. A discipline that embodies the meeting of two worlds, the solid stillness of air and the fluid depth of water, a dive lasts only three seconds, yet within it unfolds a deeper tension: the contrast between Chronos, measured and linear time, and Kairos, a suspended, qualitative moment where everything converges into a decisive action. The project begins at the peak a diver reaches at the height of a rotation, where you push off the platform and surrender your body to an invisible drawing. Entering the professional world, the designer is concerned by the industry’s overproduction linked to fleeting trends, which leads to a progressive loss of meaning for the object. The industry moves so fast that designers are not given time to truly inhabit their projects, risking the creation of accessories that are technically perfect but devoid of soul. Braghetti wants to be part of a generation of designers that does not just create beautiful objects to possess, but meaningful pieces built to last.

@benedettabraghetti

Arianna Pucci

Arianna Pucci’s collection is born from the intertwining of intimate and visionary narratives, inspired by Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper, Chantal Akerman’s film Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, and the dreamlike universe of artists such as Remedios Varo, Leonor Fini, Leonora Carrington, and Meret Oppenheim. A journey woven between imagination and constraint, it explores female identity through its fractures, resistance, and metamorphoses. The garments become fragments of a visual narrative, evoking domestic environments imbued with symbolism and bodies that demand space and voice. The collection explores the tensions between the visible and the invisible, between imposed role and desire, giving shape to a free and profoundly imaginative femininity. What excites Pucci most about the industry is the opportunity to work closely with a creative team. She finds daily collaboration very stimulating, as it allows her to see things from different perspectives, challenge her own ideas, and continuously improve. It is through this constant exchange that she feels she can grow both professionally and personally, developing new skills and refining her approach to work.

@arianna.pucci

Isabella Rivalta

Isabella Rivalta’s collection, Plié.e.s, draws inspiration from the art of origami, something she has practised since childhood. Origami’s geometries are based on precise folds that create complex and dynamic structures, yet although the structure appears rigid, Rivalta does not conceptually associate origami with rigidity; it is something light and meditative. The collection transforms origami into something more organic, spontaneous, and full of joy, awakening the inner child. Colours are vibrant and the materials used were mostly smooth calf skin. As she leaves education, Rivalta is concerned about the struggles with sustainability, not only the current state of the industry, but also how certain practices have been normalised. Nonetheless, this awareness motivates her to think more critically about fashion.

@babybella_222

Elisa Miragliotta

Elisa Miragliotta’s collection, Sulla Leggerezza Metafisica, draws inspiration from a feeling of peace and freedom of the mind, translated into physical objects that are stripped of any unnecessary features. The collection also embraces an AI-inspired aesthetic, where technology supports rather than replaces the designer, preserving the importance of the creative process. Calfskin leather with a matte or rubberised finish gives the objects a soft, aura-like luminosity, with leather goods featuring ice white, grey, and hints of yellow, while footwear is defined by pastel tones such as milk-mint and baby blue. What excites Miragliotta about entering the industry is the chance to contribute to a more thoughtful and research-driven approach to design, and she is curious about how new technologies can open up different possibilities, especially in terms of production and innovation. At the same time, she finds some aspects concerning, particularly the pressure to constantly produce and follow fast-changing trends, which can limit creativity and reduce the value of the design process. She would like to be part of a shift toward a slower, more conscious way of working, where quality, longevity, and meaning are prioritised over quantity.

@eelxss_

Laia Bombelli

Laia Bombelli’s accessory collection, Enllaços de Memòries, stems from a deep emotional connection with Catalonia, intertwining memory, affection, and cultural identity. It explores craftsmanship as a narrative language and weaving as both a manual technique and a symbol of connection and human relationships. Inspiration comes from the Sardana (a traditional Catalan circle dance), representing unity and belonging, and the Castellers (towers made from humans), embodying collaboration and collective trust. Smooth brushed calf leather and nubuck create a contrast between structure and softness, with nubuck evoking warmth and tactility, enhanced by an earthy colour palette ranging from dark brown to orange, with tones of beige and red. As she approaches the end of her studies, Bombelli feels a strong sense of excitement about entering a field that allows ideas and values to be translated into meaningful, tangible objects. She deeply believes in design as a narrative tool and in the value of craftsmanship as a language capable of preserving identity, culture, and quality. At the same time, she takes a critical view of certain dynamics within the industry, particularly overproduction and the tendency to sacrifice craftsmanship in favour of speed and standardisation.

@laiabbr

Lorenzo Petrone (Antonio Velasquez)

Lorenzo Petrone’s collection, Urban Playground, examines the connection between childhood and the current urban world, exploring the possibility of playing in functional spaces and spaces of control. This paradox is translated into leather accessories that find a balance between structure and flexibility: although they are defined volumes, they are adaptable to modifications through the inclusion of practical elements like knots and laces, allowing interaction between product and user. The choice of materials is fundamental. On one hand, the structure and definition provided by smooth calf skin, and on the other, the deformation allowed by lambskin. Colouring alternates between neutral shades and more vivid colours deriving from the theme of play. What most intrigues Petrone about the industry is its capacity to produce meaning through objects. He believes in a type of designing that involves more than mere aesthetics, wherein accessories could contain stories and sentiments behind them.

@Antonio_velasquez._

Cecilia Marchesini

Cecilia Marchesini’s collection, Reflections of Memory, is developed through the photographic archive of her great-grandfather, Eugenio Cardini. Between Argentina and Italy, family portraits and landscapes are reworked into textile prints and high-definition jacquards. The palette derives from early photographic processes, from albumen to silver prints, translated into soft, layered tones. Structured fabrics and transparent materials create visual stratifications, evoking photographic layering, while silhouettes draw from Edwardian tailoring, reinterpreting menswear in a contemporary and fluid way across genders. The collection explores the relationship between archive, textile, and garment, transforming personal memory into a contemporary narrative. What excites Marchesini is the possibility of building a personal visual language through research-driven design, especially where fashion intersects with archives, textiles, and image-making. She is inspired by practices that treat garments as cultural objects, not just products. At the same time, she finds the speed of the industry and its pressure toward constant production challenging, and is interested in contributing to a slower, more reflective approach, where process, research, and material experimentation have real value.

@cecimarchesini

Filippo Tammaccaro

Filippo Tammaccaro’s womenswear collection, Cinque Soldi di Più – Ma Blu, is inspired by a discreet and introspective vision of 1970s Milan, where elegance is defined by restraint rather than display. Drawing from the architecture and silent interiors of the city, garments are conceived as structures that inhabit space, reflecting a new maximalist bourgeois identity. The collection explores a dialogue between rigour and opulence, deconstructing traditional codes and reinterpreting them through contemporary language. Vintage references inform prints and jacquards, while hand embroidery and material experimentation create layered, tactile surfaces with trompe l’œil effects. Deep tones contrast with more vibrant accents, shaping a refined yet subversive aesthetic where memory and transformation coexist. As he leaves education, Tammaccaro feels motivated and excited to enter the fashion industry, where he hopes to continue learning and contributing to a dynamic and demanding environment. He is particularly interested in the creative process within design studios and in the textile development phase.

@f.vercillo

Sara La Rosa

Sara La Rosa’s project stems from Le Italiane si Confessano by Gabriella Parca, a collection of anonymous letters revealing women’s lives in postwar Italy and how they’re shaped by social norms and expectations. Also influenced by Cindy Sherman’s work, the shoes and leather goods embrace ugliness as an expressive tool, using unconventional materials such as paper and plastic, fused through heat pressing to create a new material. Paper is also combined with leather to form floral embellishments that reference feminine stereotypes. A visual and material exploration of contrasts creates ironic harmony, while colours like pink and glossy red reinterpret and subvert traditional feminine codes. La Rosa’s biggest hope for the future is to say something meaningful – she fell in love with fashion because she believes it to be a form of art that can belong to anyone, a language everybody can speak in their own way. She finds it a pity when companies forget that the industry has the power to shape society and taste, and is not just a product and a business. Creativity is what fuels the industry, and that must never be forgotten. She hopes to find that positive adrenaline and excitement that comes with creating something new under pressure, what she liked most about her final project was the stressful feeling of never being done, because rethinking and reshaping, though demanding, is what elevates a project day by day.

@sssaretz

Giorgia Nicosia

Giorgia Nicosia’s collection, …something that lifts weight, draws inspiration from a thought by Mario Merz, inviting a reflection on nature and the passage of time as pathways toward conceptual lightness. It explores personal memories to evoke a sense of nostalgia – not for a lived past, but for an imagined, dreamlike one. Visual references such as La Chimera and Nostalghia contribute to a suspended, almost fairy-tale-like atmosphere. At the core of the collection are water and dreams: water is conceived as a liminal element between reality and imagination, a threshold into inner worlds. A key aspect of Nicosia’s process is the use of nylon knitwear, through which she reinterprets classic garments and silhouettes using a more technical material, creating a dialogue between tradition and innovation. She is excited about the opportunity to connect with the creatives behind the concepts and collections that inspire students like her.

@giorgianicosia

Lucia Dattilo

Lucia Dattilo’s menswear collection, Soliloquio, is rooted in a personal family story. It originates from letters written by her great-grandmother’s brother, a young Italian second lieutenant captured during the Second World War and held in a prison camp in Oran, Algeria, for over two years. The letters reveal an inner world shaped by solitude, waiting, and reflection, where writing becomes a soliloquy, a dialogue with the self. The collection develops through a contrast between military uniform and traditional Algerian garments, translated into raw fabrics such as linen, canvas, and cotton, waxed surfaces, and knitwear textures. It explores memory, isolation, and silent resilience through material experimentation and layered surfaces. What excites Dattilo most about the industry is the opportunity to explore textile research and innovative techniques, especially in how materials can influence not only the aesthetics but also the meaning of a garment, closely connected to her interest in the narrative dimension of fashion, which she sees as a powerful tool to tell stories, emotions, and memories, both personal and collective. She is also drawn to sportswear, particularly for its balance between functionality and design and its continuous evolution driven by new technologies and changes in contemporary lifestyles. As for aspects she would change, Dattilo believes it would be important to give greater relevance back to craftsmanship, though she also believes the industry is already moving in the right direction to bring it back to the centre of the creative process.

@lucia.dattilo

Federico Caron

Federico Caron’s collection, ODE, explores tactile and visual perceptions linked to childhood, drawing inspiration from Andrei Tarkovsky’s Mirror (1974). It builds a contemplative dimension where natural elements gain spiritual meaning and become tools for reflecting on existence. Each element corresponds to a research field: earth, seen as masculine, connects to the rotation of Soviet World War II uniforms; air is expressed through fluid, inflatable volumes; water, associated with femininity, appears in silhouettes, necklines, and transparencies; fire represents the sublimation of memory through golden decorations. The colour palette evokes a decadent atmosphere, echoing the film’s quiet intensity, while prints reinterpret nature as a living presence, suggesting inner landscapes rather than literal imagery. What excites Caron most about entering the industry is the challenge of finding his place in what can often feel like a closed environment, surrounded by people with diverse backgrounds and mindsets. He is motivated by the opportunity to be inspired by others’ vision and guided by those with greater experience, absorbing as much as possible while shaping his own path.

@_federicocaron

Davide Mongiello

Davide Mongiello’s collection, Vanilla Butter Pecan, examines pastry and its role in society: a cultural field where precision and discipline shape sensorially satisfying results, offering small moments of pleasure in everyday life. The collection is a material study – smooth leathers meet rubberised surfaces derived from silicone moulds, along with translucent layers, creating contrasts between softness and resistance that recall creaminess and crunch. The palette draws from confectionery tones: soft yellows, warm browns, and muted greens build a dense, enveloping atmosphere. The process itself informs construction, with layering building depth and structure while glazing introduces a controlled, fluid finish. Forms reinterpret pastry geometries through memory, while uniform-inspired elements reflect the hidden rigour behind each creation. After years of education, Mongiello is eager to confront the reality of the working world, to meet the people who shape it every day, to understand its rhythms, and to keep learning through real experience. He is motivated by the idea of putting into practice what he has developed during his studies while staying open to everything he still has to discover.

@davmong1

Giulia Melesi

Giulia Melesi’s collection, Oss.Iride, reframes female childhood as a site of control disguised as softness. Drawing on doll-like aesthetics, early 20th-century children’s garments, and domestic imagery, it exposes how femininity is rehearsed from a young age. Volumes are delicate but structured, creating silhouettes that both protect and restrict the body. Materials evoke familiarity – soft, tactile, almost comforting – yet are used to impose form and discipline. The palette remains tender, but never innocent. Rather than nostalgia, the collection explores tension: between freedom and containment, play and performance, identity and expectation. What excites Melesi is fashion’s potential to communicate ideas that are uncomfortable, not just desirable. What concerns her is how quickly the industry neutralises those ideas. She sees a tendency to romanticise themes like femininity or childhood without acknowledging their complexity or violence, and is interested in resisting that flattening, in creating work that holds its meaning even when placed inside a system driven by image, speed, and consumption.

@giulia.melesi

Lorenzo Castiello

Lorenzo Castiello’s collection, Unknown Pleasures, is born from anemoia: a feeling of being at home in a time you have never lived. Inspired by the punk movement of the late 70s, from London to New York, and by the dark, minimal aesthetic of post-punk, the collection explores identity as an act of refusal, not loud but silent and permanent. The research moved through music, subcultures, and the visual language of rebellion, translated into a western-inflected palette of burnt browns, deep blacks, and emerald greens. Three leathers – smooth calfskin, distressed calfskin, and embossed crocodile – each carry a distinct emotional register: control, authenticity, and aggressive tension. What excites Castiello is the idea of creating something that has cultural significance rather than being a simple aesthetic exercise. Fashion has always been a powerful tool for the construction of identity, and he would like to contribute to that conversation. What scares him is exactly the opposite: getting trapped in a world where things move very fast and the emphasis is on visibility.

@lorenzocastiello.eu

Manuel Pfeifer

Manuel Pfeifer’s collection explores memory as something carried on the skin – unspoken yet deeply present. He worked with materials that evoke painting and the gesture of the brushstroke, translating artistic marks into texture and construction. Interwoven VHS tapes become a metaphor for memory as a liquid, continuous flow, wrapping around the body, fragile, exposed, yet also audacious. These elements suggest an archive that endlessly repeats and distorts, like images looping over time. Structured forms and fluid interventions coexist, reflecting a body in transformation. Through this, the collection investigates identity as something layered, unstable, and constantly rewritten through memory. As he leaves education, Pfeifer feels both excited and challenged by the fashion industry. He is inspired by the possibility of using fashion as a form of artistic and cultural expression, especially where craftsmanship and conceptual research are valued. At the same time, he finds the pressure for constant production and the speed of the system concerning, as they often leave little space for reflection and experimentation. He is particularly interested in contributing to a more conscious and responsible approach, where quality, time, and process are respected, and where fashion can remain a meaningful and expressive practice rather than just a commercial cycle.

@manuel.pfeifer_

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