Communication | Connect4Climate

The fashion event that rewards creativity and sustainability will take place in Milan on September 23rd, 2018, during the Milan Fashion Week.

The CNMI Green Carpet Talent Competition, supported by Value Retail Management and ICE-Agency for the promotion abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies, will take place on 23rd September at the Scala Theater in Milan during the Fashion Week (which will be held from September 19th until the 25th). For the occasion, the historic theater will be transformed into a garden of artisans, a creative and dreamlike place where at the same time you can admire the rigorously sustainable creations of young designers from all over the world.

The competition, in its second edition, after its 2017 success, challenges young creative people to redefine the concept of sustainability in fashion, within/for the Italian production chain and highlights the commitment of large companies and small producers to sustainability, heritage and authenticity.

"I am happy to announce the return of this initiative. Humanity has a limited window of time within which it can attain global objectives for fundamental issues such as climate change, poverty reduction and social justice. Along the path to be taken towards achieving this challenge there are many opportunities to be seized. The National Chamber of Italian Fashion has been committed for years to the definition of ambitious sustainability guidelines, which are the result of the commitment of the CNMI Commission on sustainability. The Commission is led by Gucci and its members are Giorgio Armani, Prada, Valentino, Versace and the 'Work on Sustainability Roundtable' created by CNMI in 2011."

Carlos Capasa, Chairman of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana

Carlo Capasa, President of CNMI

Capasa added: "Our brands are the first promoters of change in the supply chain and the entire fashion industry. Our production chain and our artisans are so flexible that they can easily embrace sustainable innovation and adopt production methods giving life to products that meet quality and sustainability criteria. The Italian production chain is full of unique entities, whose stories, skills and values are fundamental to guide sustainable progress in this sector."

Handprint of Fashion is the theme chosen for this new edition.

"We often talk about the ecological footprint of the fashion products we produce, but a narrow view on the ecological issue does not take into account all the other facets that affect the creation of a truly sustainable supply chain. Speaking of fashion handprint we also need to include its social aspect, the sense of belonging and the cultural value that abounds in the Italian production chain anchored to a crafting model.“

Livia Firth, Founder and Creative Director of Eco-Age

"The Green Carpet Fashion Awards Italy is part of a broader strategy to promote Italian know-how that will continue in the next fashion week to make Milan the epicenter of ‘Made in Italy’,” commented Cristina Tajani, Councilor for Trade and Productive Activities, Fashion and Design of the City of Milan.

"We are excited to continue our collaboration with Eco-Age and CNMI,” stated Desirée Bollier, Chair of Value Retail Management, “the CNMI Green Carpet Talent Competition proves to be an important initiative that reflects the commitment of Value Retail in cultivating emerging talents and supporting the future of fashion. We are delighted to receive new ideas for this edition and welcome the next group of finalists into our annual mentorship program, a successful format tailored just for them."

CNMI Green Carpet Talent Competition 2018

Credit to CNMI. Click on the image to watch the video.

The jury for this 2018 edition will be composed by Edward Enninful, Director of Vogue UK, Derek Blasberg, fashion editor at CNN Style, pop star and UN ambassador Ellie Goulding, Kelly Wong of Lane Crawford, Nathalie Kingham, Fashion and Buying director of MATCHESFASHION.COM, and Desiree Boiller, Chair of Value Retail Management alongside Livia Firth, Carlo Capasa and Sara Sozzani Maino.

From today, young creative people can register for the competition directly on the CNMI website, but only ten will be selected and will present their creations to the jury in Paris in the coming months. The five finalists of the competition, including the winner of the Franca Sozzani Prize GCC Emerging Designer, will participate in the 12-month mentoring program of The Bicester Village Shopping Collection by Value Retail. Working closely with experts in Europe and China, finalists will have the opportunity to tap into global expertise in various fields, including fashion, retail, supply chain management, customer information, brand creation, tourism, marketing and distribution, to help them fully express their creative and commercial potential.

Furthermore, the designers will be able to exhibit their collections through The Creative Spot, a platform dedicated to new talents at Fidenza Village, while the winner will have the opportunity to present the collection at the Milan Fashion Week in February 2019 with the support of CNMI.

The complete list of prizes to be awarded during the Green Carpet Fashion Awards Italy 2018 will be announced during the Venice Film Festival in August 2018.

Originally published in Italian on Vogue Italia

Banner and thumbnail photo credits to Max Thabiso Edkins / Connect4Climate