Alice Ambrosio, Gaia Orso, Benedetta Polello, Gaia Schiavon and Martina Strambi won the first Accademia Italiana + Manteco Academy‘s Manteco Sustainability Award.
The term menda, meaning flaw or imperfection, reminds us to reflect on self-acceptance. In a world that often seeks perfection, recognizing and accepting imperfections is essential for everyone’s emotional well-being and this is precisely the message that the young designers wanted to transmit. Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic and philosophical concept that finds beauty in imperfection, incompleteness and the passage of time: wabi indicates a humble and rustic beauty, sabi reflects the charm that emerges with time, wear and aging.
This timeless women’s collection redefines comfort and elegance through a timeless approach that embraces individuality, promotes a minimalist perspective, valuing simplicity and the idea of owning fewer but more meaningful objects. This is in line with responsible consumption, encouraging a shift from short-term purchases to long-lasting and sustainable choices. This is the motivation for the award.
