W: Honey King

The 2021 Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera Graduate Fashion Show was far more than a simple runway event; it served as a profound socio-cultural manifesto for a world in transition. By boldly pivoting away from the "idealized perfection" typically synonymous with Milanese high fashion, these ten designers firmly established themselves as the industry’s new guard. This is a collective of creators who prioritize psychological depth and raw human narrative over the sterile gleam of commercial polish.

At the heart of the showcase was a fierce rejection of the "digital veneer" that dominates our filtered reality. Instead of succumbing to screen-ready aesthetics, these students utilized fashion as a tool for intimate, tactile research into the human condition. Their work functioned as a subversion of industry standards; rather than designing garments to "fix" or "enhance" the wearer, the collections explored the unpolished reality of the self, celebrating the beauty found in imperfection and authenticity.

One of the most intellectually daring pivots of the show was the exploration of "oblivion"—the stark void of information—contrasted against the weight of memory. This conceptual tension was masterfully translated into the clothing, resulting in pieces that felt either hauntingly erased and minimalist or densely layered with nostalgia and playful references to "the game." It was a visual dialogue between what we choose to remember and what we allow to fade away.

Ultimately, the 2021 showcase proved that the next generation of Italian talent is no longer seduced by the hollow glamour of the past. Instead, they are hyper-focused on the "truth" of the present, no matter how complex or uncomfortable that truth may be. This brand of intellectual bravery and conceptual rigor is exactly the fuel needed to navigate the uncertain future of the global fashion industry.

Cristian Di Serio‘s collection takes inspiration from the coal miners’ work uniform. The characterizing detail of the entire collection is the knot of their foulard, that has been inserted inside the capsule transforming the clothes from work uniform to garments with an urban style.

Leonardo D’Anzi was born from the desire to return to travel after this period of forced mobility, in order to re-discover the world, to gain knowledge, be amazed and contaminated. A journey that goes from the desert to the city and its goal is to give birth to a new language. Blue and yellow are the main colours and they give dynamism and cheerfulness to the garments, a newfound take on a joyful life.

“Eyes on me” is the name of the menswear collection created by the emerging fashion designer  Domenico Dicorato and it was born from an in-depth study of his own personality. An Apulian boy who arrives in Milan because he no longer wants to be judged by society. Because society looks at you, judges you and hurts you through looks, leaving you with gashes on the armor you created.