RUFA at SOUTH NEXT: Fashion Design takes to the catwalk in Vasto
The event will take place on 29 August at the Gardens of Palazzo d’Avalos, in Vasto, Abruzzo. The initiative was conceived and is directed by Irene Libbi, fashion influencer and professional at Balenciaga. SOUTH NEXT is promoted by the Municipality of Vasto and organised by Garone Srl.
The project builds a bridge between education, emerging creativity and professional practice. A vision that closely reflects the RUFA method: learning through projects, experimenting and engaging with real-world contexts.
RUFA Fashion Design students take centre stage in Vasto
RUFA will be represented by a selection of students from the Sustainable Fashion Design programme, coordinated by lecturer Guenda Cermel:
- Mattia Siciliano
- Francesco Caruccio
- Antonio Tedeschi
- Margherita Beritognolo
- Ilenia Genchi
Five young designers, five personal visions of contemporary fashion. The creations presented at SOUTH NEXT were developed during the third academic year, under the creative supervision of lecturer Simone Botte.
From design project to catwalk
The outfits become the culmination of a process built on research, experimentation and design. Within the RUFA programme, fashion design brings aesthetics and responsibility together. The course develops technical and digital skills, while also encouraging students to reflect on the cultural and production models of contemporary fashion. Sustainability is not simply a topic. It becomes part of the creative process.
An international jury meets emerging talent
During SOUTH NEXT, RUFA students will have the opportunity to present their work to an audience of professionals and industry experts.
Members of the jury include:
- Letizia Schatzinger, fashion expert and former Director of ID la Repubblica and Vanity Fair;
- Annagemma Lascari, fashion creator;
- Giulia Campitelli, international fashion photographer;
- Barbara Catania, Managing Director and womenswear buyer at the Filippo Marchesani multi-brand store;
- Martina Corsi, Head of Atelier Prototypes at Louis Vuitton.
A direct exchange that transforms the catwalk into a space for professional connections, growth and networking.
RUFA Sustainable Fashion Design: creativity and responsibility
Taking part in SOUTH NEXT means supporting a more open and decentralised vision of fashion. It means creating space for new talent outside traditional circuits and recognising local areas as new centres of cultural and creative production. This perspective closely reflects the values of RUFA Sustainable Fashion Design. The programme guides students in developing creative thinking that is conscious of fashion’s environmental, cultural and social impact. Throughout the three-year course, design, textile culture, digital innovation and sustainability remain in constant dialogue. The aim is to train designers capable of interpreting the present and contributing to the future transformation of the fashion industry.
From the Academy to the professional world
SOUTH NEXT is also a concrete example of the RUFA educational model.
Engagement with events, professionals, companies and institutions allows students to take their work beyond academic spaces. A project becomes experience. Experience becomes an opportunity for professional growth.
Because at RUFA, you enter as a student and leave as a professional.