Altaroma is organising and announcing its Spring/Summer 2023 edition, highlighting the organization’s continued dedication to local fashion, emerging artists, and live fashion events as a means of fostering collaborations among the various players in the industry. However, compared to its previous edition, which we also had the good fortune to visit in February, it did so with significant novelties. The Ex Caserma Guido Reni facility has replaced the Cinecittà Studios, which served as the major hub of its prior call, and is now considerably more convenient. Along with meeting designers whose work we were already familiar with, we also ran into several creatives whose talent and originality attracted our eye.
It would be great if we used a specific example to illustrate the advertising potential of Altaroma’s youthful fashion stars. Gams Note, one of the brands we previously singled out in February for its stability as both a creative and business endeavor, its distinctive style, and its flawless balancing of functionality and design, debuted its most recent collection at Rome Is My Runway, the venue devoted to the up-and-coming designers of Roman fashion. Only six months later, this fledgling company has been named as one of the finalists for the Who Is On Next? award after showcasing its amazing items at an event we recently had the chance to attend.
According to Simonetta Gianfelici and Sara Sozzani Maino, “Who Is On Next? was developed in 2005, starting from an idea of Altaroma and owing to the interest, encouragement, culture, and sensitivity of an outstanding woman: Franca Sozzani.” And this prestigious awards ceremony, which featured notable industry figures like Alessandro Michele, Pierpaolo Piccioli, and Silvia Venturini Fendi, president of Altaroma, continues to promote the creative capacity of young designers, such as Alessandro Marchetto, head of the menswear brand Gams Note, whose work (along with Karim) received the Pitti Tutoring & Consulting Award, which gifted them with a free six-month mentor.
The potential of Altaroma to transform tiny, independent brands into powerful initiatives that can support Roman talent on a national and international scale is precisely this company’s unique selling point. And the local and worldwide press, which, when used effectively and when the work being presented is innovative and stands out for its quality, transforms into a dissemination instrument that amplifies their voices. We single out Rome Is My Runway’s top designers among the collections displayed for helping us regain faith in a sector that appears to be progressing in terms of inclusivity, representation, and identity.
From the quirky designs created by the Puglia-based, surreal, sustainable, and handmade fashion label Be Nina to Dadamax’s freestyle embroidery on antique blazers, the latter is capable of revitalizing this timeless tailoring item through attention to detail and appreciation for the craftsmanship. Feelomena, who gambled on gender-neutral clothing in dark tones and vivid colors inspired by the Pitoui headboard, a bird of the jungle, was another wonderful surprise of this edition of Altaroma. Or Reamerei, a brand that is entirely manufactured by hand in Italy and sends products all over the world. This initiative breaks down gender barriers and prioritizes sustainability, making it one of the projects that is most in tune with the needs and demands of the next generation.
From the quirky designs created by the Puglia-based, surreal, sustainable, and handmade fashion label Be Nina to Dadamax’s freestyle embroidery on antique blazers, the latter is capable of revitalizing this timeless tailoring item through attention to detail and appreciation for the craftsmanship. Feelomena, who gambled on gender-neutral clothing in dark tones and vivid colors inspired by the Pitoui headboard, a bird of the jungle, was another wonderful surprise of this edition of Altaroma. Or Reamerei, a brand that is entirely manufactured by hand in Italy and sends products all over the world. This initiative breaks down gender barriers and prioritizes sustainability, making it one of the projects that is most in tune with the needs and demands of the next generation.
This edition continues to solidify the catwalk’s ability to propel Italian fashion talent, favored by the showcase they lead where we could get to know more than ninety different fashion and accessory brands, strengthening the synergy between Altaroma and its partner institutions and solidifying Rome as a hub of new Italian fashion. The event is clearly headed in the right path as it raises expectations among professionals in the field and niche reviewers. To find out where the next call is going, we will have to wait for it, but in the meanwhile, we will keep a record of all the skills we have recently uncovered.
