Two students from the undergraduate Fashion Design programme at Ferrari Fashion School, Carlotta Matilde Morando and Elena Giacomelli, have been selected as finalists for Next Gen Leather Designers, the competition promoted by LINEAPELLE and Piattaforma Sistema Formativo Moda ETS to showcase emerging talent from Italian fashion schools.
Their projects are on display from 15 to 17 September 2026 at LINEAPELLE Milan, in a dedicated exhibition featuring the competition finalists.
The selection brings two final projects developed during the third year of Fashion Design to one of the leading international events dedicated to leather, materials, accessories and components for the fashion industry.
Next Gen Leather Designers: A Competition for Emerging Fashion Talent
Next Gen Leather Designers is an initiative by LINEAPELLE and Piattaforma Sistema Formativo Moda ETS designed to strengthen the connection between fashion education and industry.
The competition invites students from participating Italian fashion schools to develop mini capsules of outfits and accessories in which leather is the main material, combining research, sustainability, innovation and design experimentation.
The selected projects are presented in a dedicated exhibition at LINEAPELLE, taking place at Fiera Milano Rho from 15 to 17 September 2026.
Carlotta Morando: “Through the Skin”
Carlotta Matilde Morando was selected with a jumpsuit from her “Through the Skin” collection, crafted from off-white nappa leather.
The collection explores the boundary between what we show on the outside and what we protect within. Skin becomes a membrane that safeguards the body’s fragility, evoking bones, veins and organs.
“Through the Skin” connects exterior and interior, transforming what usually remains hidden into a new expression of strength and beauty.
The selected jumpsuit translates this research through material and garment construction, making leather an integral part of the collection’s narrative.
Elena Giacomelli: The Bag from the “Filtro” Collection
Elena Giacomelli was selected with a bag crafted from chocolate-brown full-grain leather, part of her “Filtro” collection.
The project begins with a reflection on the impossibility of fully grasping the essence of an individual. In our relationship with the outside world, each person creates a barrier between what they reveal and their most intimate dimension.
The membrane therefore becomes a filter between the individual and the surrounding environment: it protects the personal sphere while allowing it to adapt to the external context.
The selected bag translates this reflection into an accessory, using leather both as a functional material and as an integral part of the collection’s meaning.
From the Final Project to LINEAPELLE Milan
The “Through the Skin” and “Filtro” collections are part of the final projects developed by the two students during the third year of Ferrari Fashion School’s three-year Fashion Design programme.
The projects were developed under the supervision of Lika Kubaneishvili, Course Leader of the programme, and pattern-making lecturers Geny Iorio and Camilla Monti.
From initial research and concept development to material selection and the construction of garments and accessories, the final project allows students to bring together the skills acquired throughout the programme and transform them into a personal collection.
Their selection for Next Gen Leather Designers now takes Carlotta and Elena’s work beyond the academic environment, presenting it directly to fashion industry professionals and stakeholders attending LINEAPELLE.
Fashion Design, Leather and Material Experimentation
The two projects begin with different personal interpretations but share one central element: leather as a membrane.
For Carlotta, it becomes the boundary between the external body and inner fragility. For Elena, it acts as a filter between individual identity and the surrounding world.
These two interpretations show how material selection can go beyond technical function to become part of a collection’s concept, construction and narrative.
The presence of the two students at LINEAPELLE Milan 2026 therefore creates an opportunity for dialogue between fashion education and industry, bringing research developed within the three-year Fashion Design programme into an international professional context.
