Je vois encore: Emma Baroni Wins the IED Avant Défilé 2024 Media Prize

A few steps away from the magnificent Duomo di Milano, IED Avant Défilé 2024 unveiled its winners in Milan’s Palazzo Giureconsulti. Curated by Olivia Spinelli, Head of Fashion School IED Milano, Avant Défilé 2024 handpicked ten designers across the campus for this two-day fashion showdown.

In Palazzo Giuresconti, ten booths with installations showcased the ten shortlisted contestant’s fashion designs. A small fashion show took place every 45 minutes, bringing their clothes to life. Open to public on June 26^th and June 27^th, IED Avant Défilé 2024 welcomed people from all walks of life to come and interact with the designers. Based on their job and identity, they were also invited to vote for their favorite design. Three awards were established accordingly, which are Fashion System Prize, Media Prize and Public Prize. By the end of the event, the three winning collection of the awards were announced, and they are Marco Servedio’s “3K” (Fashion System Prize), Emma Baroni’s “Je vois encore” (Media Prize) and Matteo Gagliano’s “Cicardian Rhythm” (Public Prize).

Hailing from Brentonico, a small mountain village in Trentino, Emma grew up watching her grandmother work as a tailor-made menswear seamstress. She considers this as her enlightenment to the fashion world.After graduating from high school, she moved to Milan to pursue her fashion studies in IED. There, she got her first encountered with the industry. Emma described her years in IED as “creative and independent”, as the school offered the students a free environment for their creativity to run amuck. Fortunately, with her well-organized, autonomous attitude and a clear goal, she was able to leverage on the tools and the opportunities that IED has provided.

For her award-winning collection, Emma linked her birthplace to her design. Titled “Je vois encore”, meaning I see it again in French, she told a hearty story about how her childhood memories and her adulthood experiences overlap. The nature, the plantation, the garden in front of her house and the villagers’ way of living, these simple but blissful happiness at home, and the déjà vu feeling she encountered elsewhere were her greatest source of inspiration.

As a child, Emma acquainted the world around her by filtering things through her senses. After her relocation to Milan, the hustle and bustle of the metropolis stimulated and encouraged her to observe the world differently. Weirdly, even though her hometown is hundreds of kilometers away, she occasionally had this déjà vu feeling that reminded her of home. By touching some fabrics that recalled the villagers’ traditional clothing; by coming across a small object inside the drawer that recollected memories of the day she used to treasure it; or by smelling a perfume that reconnected her from present to a specific day in the past, Emma’s sensual adventure gradually developed into a nostalgic collection. 

To complete this collection, Emma spent a lot of energy on textile research and played with different fabrics and materials. She manipulated the textile, like combining kneading and sand paper, to create interesting and distinctive effects. With the help of professional fabric makers like Shima Seiki, she was able to develop some special jacquard or tapestry textile. Also, with the idea of sustainable fashion, she incorporated recycled fabrics into her collection. The silhouette of her design is simple, and with the intriguing combination of color and textile, Emma turned her heartfelt story into a thoughtful collection about a déjà vu journey through all senses.

As Emma is graduating from IED this summer, she is keen on stepping into the fashion industry and starting her career as a knitwear designer. The victory of “Je vois encore” in IED Avant Défilé and is undoubtedly a recognition to her talent and fruitful outcome in IED.