DATE: 16th June 2025. PLACE: Stazione Leopolda, Florence. TIME. 15.00
W:Maximiliano Dubois I:Filippo Fior / GoRunway
This week in Florence, the fashion industry witnessed a formidable display of talent as twenty final-year students from Polimoda made their professional debut. Unveiling 100 boundary-pushing looks, the showcase stood out as one of the strongest graduating presentations in recent memory. The atmosphere was electric, signaling a definitive shift in how the next generation of designers approaches the transition from the classroom to the global stage.
The Class of 2025 distinguished themselves through a refreshing philosophy of creative freedom. Rather than treating their final collections as precious, high-pressure moments to be looked back upon with stress, these designers embraced the joy of experimentation. Their work occupied a wide spectrum of expression, ranging from the quietly sensitive to the visually explosive, with many radical and color-intensive points in between. It was a celebration of the process itself, prioritizing the act of "trying things out" over the pursuit of safe, commercial perfection.
Resourcefulness was the heartbeat of the runway. Eschewing traditional luxury sourcing, the students looked inward and backward for inspiration. They utilized what was immediately available to them—upcycled materials, childhood memories, and the hazy imagery of lucid dreams. This raw, autobiographical approach resulted in garments that felt deeply personal and authentic, proving that the most compelling fashion often emerges from one's own history and subconscious.
From the technical mastery of sculptural tailoring to the chaotic beauty of deconstructed knits, the variety was staggering. Each designer offered a unique perspective on the modern world, weaving together social commentary with high-concept aesthetics. By the final walk, it was clear that these twenty individuals are not just graduates, but ready-to-work visionaries who are prepared to challenge the status quo of the fashion industry.
My graduate collection explores the emotional journey of immigration through the lens of childhood. Having moved across countries since age 14, I’ve carried the weight of constant transition from a young age. The collection reflects the duality of this experience: the imaginative resilience of a child alongside the quiet complexities of migration. Silhouettes are playful and exaggerated, evoking curiosity, while a restrained color palette conveys introspection and longing. At its heart is “The Explorer,” a character who journeys the world in search of belonging. Through them, I explore identity, memory, and the ever-shifting meaning of home.
This collection began as an observation of individuality in Gothenburg – my first home after immigrating from Iran in 1999. I was struck by how quietly people moved through the rain, rarely speaking, even when sharing shelter. It felt distant, yet poetic. I viewed it all as an outsider, noticing how people prepared differently: the overprepared, the one in denial, the elegant, the careless. Rain became a metaphor for identity, emotion, and how we navigate the world – each commuter a character in a quiet urban play.
This collection was sparked by an online critique labelling my work “too feminine” to be menswear. That judgment stung – but it also pushed me to reflect on shame, identity, and the power of expression. I connected the experience to Pasolini’s Salò, where humiliation enforces control. Instead of conforming, I channelled that pain into creativity. for the boys is my response – a defiant, vulnerable reclamation of voice and freedom. It celebrates the right to exist authentically in art, regardless of gender norms.
Silenzio Bianco is inspired by Arctic exploration and the emotional distance within family heritage. I drew from the story of the expeditions of Fridtj of Nansen and traditional Inuit clothing, merging it with the rigid world of architecture, which reflects my paternal lineage. The collection explores silence as both a survival mechanism and a personal rebellion – a quiet confrontation between control and vulnerability, warmth and cold.
This collection began with a question my suited-up lawyer grandfather once asked me: “Would you wear that – if the airplane just might fall?” It sparked a reflection on how little value we place on things today. I drew inspiration from the evolution of air travel uniforms (pilots, air hostesses), classic menswear codes (like those of the Duke of Windsor), and ironic, literal references to flying. It’s about mortality, elegance, and absurdity all colliding in midair.
