W: Dusty Reeves
The Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) Graduate Fashion Show 2025 at ModaLisboa was a high-stakes demonstration of "New School" design. Under the theme "Nostalgia for the Future," the showcase functioned as a creative bridge between the heritage of the past and the speculative aesthetics of tomorrow.
Here's ASBO Magazines, three designers that emerged as the definitive "Best of 2025," each representing a different IED campus and a distinct pillar of modern fashion: Adele Domini, Leonardo Fizialetti, and Rat Borrell.
The 2025 IED show proved that the next generation of designers is moving away from fast-fashion trends and toward intentional, story-driven luxury.
ADELE DOMINI
The Focus: Athletic Melancholy & Technical Fluidity Adele Domini’s collection, titled "The Perfect Match," was a sophisticated subversion of "tennis-core." Rather than leaning into preppy clichés, Domini used the aesthetic of the court to explore the discipline and fragility of the human form.
- Design Language: She masterfully blended high-performance technical fabrics with elegant, draped silhouettes. The collection felt like a cinematic exploration of "sporting elegance," where the rigid boundaries of a tennis match were softened by fluid tailoring.
RAT BORRELL
The Focus: Chromatic Nostalgia & Playground Avant-Garde Rat Borrell’s collection, "El viatge que mai hem fet" (The journey we never took), provided the show with its most vibrant energy. Borrell explored the memories of childhood summers and playgrounds, translating them into a bold, graphic aesthetic.
- Design Language: The collection was defined by an explosion of color and a play on proportions—moving between skin-tight athletic pieces and extreme, oversized outerwear. It featured heavy use of graphic prints and material contrasts that evoked the messy, joyful energy of youth.
LEONARDO FIZIALETTI
The Focus: Futuristic Tailoring & Roman Heritage Fizialetti served as the bridge between Rome's rigorous sartorial history and a sci-fi future. His work captured the essence of the "Nostalgia for the Future" theme by creating garments that felt like archaeological finds from a century that hasn't happened yet.
- Design Language: His silhouettes were characterized by "structural duality"—mixing the sharp, clean lines of traditional Italian tailoring with avant-garde, almost alien volumes. He utilized sustainable materials that mimicked the look of high-tech polymers without sacrificing the tactile luxury of "Made in Italy" craftsmanship.
