Unicampania presents MUTATION + FASHION SHOW

This year again, Luigi Vanvitelli University will organize the fashion show dedicated to the emerging talents from the Fashion Design faculty. Last year's project, "Fashion Alive", had as its central theme the interpretation of contemporaneity to describe obsolete systems, with a focus on the history and memory of one's own material culture. It was an important opportunity for local fashion students, who had the chance to showcase their designs to the jury and international audience, and then discuss their creative processes in a talk on a theme increasingly relevant in the fashion world. This year's event took place on October 4th and marked a further evolution. "Motion Plus" is the title of the new project, which aims to explore the most innovative scenarios in the leather sector, focusing on the most sustainable ways of using it. Through student experiments, a process of research and innovation is highlighted, placing leather in a new light, and examining it not only as a traditional material but as a design element with unexpected potential. However, the core of the event remains the theme of environmental sustainability, a crucial challenge for the contemporary fashion industry, which increasingly questions how to redefine its paradigms through innovative and revolutionary solutions, often suggested by the young and visionary minds of the new generations.

In a global context where the phenomenon of 'fashion fatigue' is becoming increasingly evident and there is a noticeable shift away from the traditional fashion capitals, attention is turning towards smaller, more peripheral contexts, where innovation becomes the driving force of change. The geographical decentralization of fashion is accompanied by a break from conventional glamour, which continues to dominate cities like Paris, still, the queen of Haute Couture, reserved for an exclusive elite. In contrast, in realities like Copenhagen Fashion Week and Berlin Fashion Week, the goal of designers is to give space to younger, fresher voices. In this global scenario, Naples is emerging as a cultural hub, thanks to its renaissance in recent years, where it has regained a leading role, with a scene loved by the arts. The new race for innovation involves the entire fashion ecosystem: from business models to audience targeting, but above all, the renewal of materials – a topic that has seen the major industries in the sector invest millions and which remains a problem currently without a solution. The various experiments taking place overseas with alternative materials and vegetable leathers, often within the realm of indie brands, are a testament to this. Making these new technologies scalable will be the challenge that a new generation of designers (including the students from Vanvitelli) will have to face on the front line. For many of these young people, the opportunity offered by the university environment represents the first platform where they can showcase their projects. This makes the theme of education increasingly relevant as a creative incubator, surpassing the simple concept of exams, grades, and degrees.