The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and Maison Valentino continue to work together to create a series of appointments that will feature, from season to season, an emerging guest designer who will present their collection on the @maisonvalentino IG social platform.
In the spirit of feeding the energy that reigns among the new generation of designers, and in supporting the fashion system, Maison Valentino and Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli have decided to open the doors of their digital spaces and offer designers the opportunity to present their work and message.
An event that takes place in a bubble of shared values. Working together in a panorama of creatives where fashion is chosen as a language, where they talk about values on a journey that remains the same but narrated in different ways. Recreating and putting humanity and people back at the centre makes the system more authentic and engaging. Different entities and not just a small group of designers. Inclusion, not exclusion. Every story must be local and personal to become global.
"I believe that supporting talents capable of combining beauty with the offering of a reflection is our responsibility, as well as interesting, because fashion can do a lot and has a lot to offer, always." Pierpaolo Piccioli
The second appointment is scheduled during Milan Fashion Week Women’s Collection S/S2023 in September 2022. The designers are Galib Gassanoff and Luca Lin, founders of the brand ACT N°1.
ACT N°1 is synonymous with inclusion, where craftsmanship and multicultural vibes dialogue with each other, representing a contemporary generation that looks to the future while maintaining awareness of the past, of its origins. Pierpaolo Piccioli’s choice is therefore guided by a recognition of shared values and by grounds for exchange and coming together.
Both Gassanoff and Lin credit their multiculturalism as a source of inspiration and have been known to mix antique Chinese art with Azerbaijani craft, to create a sort of "punk-meets-precious" brand. Their latest womenswear collection, available on their site, features whimsical tulle accents wrapped around black woolen blazers and dotting the bottom of an austere corset, as well as silk menswear style button down shirts made special by a multicoloured peony print, and jeans and t-shirts for everyday style.
For the Creative Director of Maison Valentino, fashion should be deeply personal and celebrate the individual by welcoming their diversity. A manifesto of pure diversity and inclusion. Fashion is a language through which to showcase one’s own personal story.
Pierpaolo Piccioli said: “The work of Galib Gassanoff and Luca Lin is light and profound as the gaze of every young designer should be and perhaps how all ours should be. Multiculturalism, respect for diversity and celebration of the human coexist without dogmatism, without presumption in a free and courageous creativity. I believe that supporting talents capable of combining beauty with the offering of a reflection is our responsibility, as well as interesting, because fashion can do a lot and has a lot to offer, always. I sincerely hope it is the first of many acts.“
Carlo Capasa, President of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, added: “We are very happy to be in the second season of this initiative, I thank Maison Valentino for the generosity of this concrete and systematic action. Recognising young talents, supporting them and offering them the opportunity to express themselves and experiment is more fundamental today than ever. It is important, especially in an increasingly competitive and global market, that a brand with the prestige of Maison Valentino promotes and supports an emerging brand. ACTN°1 is a brand that we, as CNMI, have been supporting for some time, it won the grant from the Camera Moda Fashion Trust this year. We are particularly pleased that Pierpaolo Piccioli chose Galib and Luca, seeing in them great creativity and giving them a unique opportunity that will bring a strong international resonance to the brand.”
And finally, the young duo Gassanoff and Lin, concluded: “We are very happy and more than honoured to have been selected by Pierpaolo Piccioli as guests on Valentino’s social media accounts for the presentation of the new ACT N°1 collection in September. The values we represent are in harmony and real synergy with the values of Pierpaolo Piccioli and being supported by him makes us doubly pleased. This will be an important platform where the messages we have been conveying since the beginning will reach even further thanks to Valentino and CNMI.”
All images courtesy of Maison Valentino, used with permission.
