The Accademia Costume & Mode (ACM) Graduate Fashion Show 2023 served as a profound testament to the "Made in Italy" legacy, blending rigorous archival research with a radical, contemporary edge. Among the standout visions was Pietro De Vecchi’s collection, “No Sign of Middle Time,” which transformed an intimate reflection on the Middle Ages into a haunting, lagoon-inspired narrative. By juxtaposing the grit of muddy, inhospitable landscapes with sophisticated tailoring, De Vecchi effectively questioned the "comfort zone" of history, suggesting that ancient cycles of labor and life continue to ripple through modern silhouettes.

In a sharp pivot toward the cinematic and the social, Elisa Rossi and Filippo Pifferi dismantled gender and digital norms with surgical precision. Rossi’s “Morph-X” drew heavily from the 1990s and The Matrix, blurring the lines between reality and fiction through a high-energy aesthetic of acid greens, feathers, and mirrored materials that channelled "heroin chic" into a modern, eroticized sophistication. Meanwhile, Pifferi’s “Swinging Cliché” brilliantly deconstructed feminine stereotypes, clashing the fragility of a Hitchcockian blonde with the structured masculinity of workwear and 1920s glamour. Together, these designers proved that the next generation of Italian talent is not just preserving tradition, but actively weaponizing it to narrate the complexities of the 21st century.

NAME: Pietro De Vecchi. COLLECTION:  “No Sign of Middle Time”,

My collection is born from intimate reflections on the concept of the comfort zone. Pietro questions the notion of intermediate times and how the Middle Ages, in some way, may never have ended. In this symbolic narrative, the fishermen of the lagoon continue to live as they always have, sinking their feet into the muddy bottom of that inhospitable place, in an endless cycle.

NAME: Filippo Pifferi. COLLECTION: Swinging Cliché

With this collection, I explored the stereotypes of femininity
in contemporary society and how, even today, women's credibility and professional standing depend on the masculinization of their wardrobes.
I therefore decided to blend different stereotypes of femininity and masculinity.
The Hitchcock-esque blonde, always flawless and fragile, meets the world of the 1920s, characterized by free-spirited and vibrant glamour. Workwear, a symbol of jobs considered masculine, frames the looks
with practical and structured cuts, while the world of baseball conveys a sense of playfulness and sportiness that creates a dynamic allure.

NAME: Elisa Rossi. COLLECTION: Morph-X

Reality or fiction? The fine line separating these two concepts is blurred, almost nonexistent. The precursor was the '90s blockbuster, Matrix, from which the collection draws inspiration. Essential shapes, stripped of any exaggeration, attention to detail and choice of materials.
The '90s were characterized by several very important events, the era of "heroin chic," models with androgynous and extremely thin physiques, emaciated faces, unkempt hair, and a vacant, almost nostalgic gaze. This attitude is brought to life through the use of fabrics like
leather, jersey, coated fabrics, denim, and mirrored materials.
Added to all this is irreverent glamour, brazen beauty, insolent sophistication, and bold elegance, crafted through a comfortable aesthetic and high-energy eroticism, always typical of the '90s, thanks also to the use of feathers.
Eroticism is placed at the center of a minimal and highly sophisticated universe that coexists within the collection, giving life to a project with neutral tones, particularly the acid green, characteristic of the "Matrix" codes.