Domus Academy at Fashion Graduate Italia 2025

The journey to Woven Identities, the runway dedicated to Domus Academy students,  started in April, when students from the Master in Fashion Design and two-year Master in Fashion: Design Art & Technology programmes began working on their collections.

• Students began by reflecting on their own identities, transforming concepts into innovative ideas and bringing them to life through a complete collection.
• A selection process determined which students would proceed to the catwalk preparation stage.
• Faculty-led meetings guided students through styling, construction, and adjustments.
• Real-life fittings allowed students to see their designs evolve, refining details to make their collections runway-ready.

This process provided hands-on industry experience, bridging education and professional practice in Milan.

Alongside the three-day programme of fashion shows, Fashion Graduate Italia features an exhibition area where Domus Academy invited visitors to explore fashion design first-hand:

• Interactive outfit-building experiences, giving visitors the chance to create an outfit using recycled materials.

• Experimentation with materials and textiles under faculty guidance.
• Insights into the multidisciplinary fashion programmes at the school.

The installation highlighted curiosity, experimentation, and creative thinking as essential skills for emerging designers.

The runway show showcased the work of Master students, exploring memory, heritage, sustainability, and emotional storytelling.

Collections included:

Alessia Berzolla – Reimagining hospitality uniforms

The collection transforms the visual language of workwear through the lens of memory, labour, and lineage. “Order Up!” pays tribute to the poetry of everyday workers, honouring the narratives stitched into every fold. Her work was also featured in an interview on TG5.

Hale Yılmaz Gözene — Soft Sculptures: Where Architecture Meets the Body
Inspired by visionary architects such as Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, and Jørn Utzon, this collection approaches the body as a structural landscape. Soft Sculptures blends sculptural volumes with textile tactility, echoing references from designers like Uma Wang and Rick Owens. The result is a poetic bridge between fashion and architecture, where garments envelop the body in fluid, harmonious forms.

Paloma Martínez Balbuena — BRÍO
A celebration of flamenco heritage, BRÍO honours the Manila shawl and the artistry of Andalusian cigar makers. Through vibrant colours and flowing shapes, the collection reflects the strength, resilience, and emotional depth of Spanish womanhood.

Paloma said: “I love drawing and painting, and bringing these into forms that follow—and transform—the body. For me, it feels like magic.”

Seçil San — Fade Away
Inspired by shifting memories and personal perception, Fade Away translates the fragility of recollection into soft silhouettes and evolving details. The collection mirrors the way memories distort, blur, or intensify over time, exploring the emotional distance between lived experience and remembered truth.

Yi Hsuan Tu — Dissonant Sleepwalk
A dreamlike exploration of the space between reality and imagination, this collection moves with the rhythm of music and memory. Ethereal shapes and surreal contrasts guide the garments through a drifting, otherworldly narrative. The work was also featured in Vogue.

Yohta Naruse — Peel A Clothing
Inspired by the visual of clothes left on the floor like peeled fruit skins, Naruse’s collection inhabits the space between dressed and undressed. East-West influences intertwine to create sculptural, shell-like garments that appear both empty and full of presence.

Dide Aksamaoğlu — Zeibek
Drawing from the traditional Turkish Zeibek dance, this collection channels themes of courage, pride, and rhythmic movement. Modern silhouettes reinterpret the symbolic gestures of the dance, merging folklore with contemporary design.

Lin Wang — Aftertaste
Aftertaste explores the comforting power of memory, rooted in childhood experiences of illness and care. Oversized shapes offer protection, while delicate knitwear maps the meridian system of the body. Plant-dyed silks and linens evoke healing, heritage, and tenderness, creating garments that merge cultural roots with meditative design.

Nursima Bingol — Selfportrait
Selfportrait reflects on the quiet complexity of identity, balancing structure and softness, tradition and modernity. Rich textures, refined tailoring and cultural references appear through jacquards and velvet. This collection prioritises intention over trend—garments that speak softly yet meaningfully, offering a wearable reflection of personal and collective identity.

Each collection merged personal stories with contemporary fashion, creating a cohesive, expressive runway presentation.

Fashion Graduate Italia also featured the Portfolio Review, where students present work to leading professionals from top fashion and design companies.

Domus Academy student Yohta Naruse participated, gaining:

• Direct expert feedback.
• A chance to showcase his design process and technical skills.
• Networking opportunities for future collaborations and career growth.

This initiative provides emerging designers with real-world connections and industry exposure.

Domus Academy’s participation in Fashion Graduate Italia 2025 highlighted the Academy’s dedication to nurturing creativity, diversity, and professional growth.

From an interactive booth to the Woven Identities runway and portfolio reviews, the Academy offered students a complete industry experience, demonstrating the transformative power of education, mentorship, and storytelling in contemporary fashion.