Contest 2020: a digital story with real winners

The community of the Facebook group “Feel the Yarn – The Contest”, consisting of students, experts, influencers, companies and yarn lovers, declared the two winners of the 11^th edition of the Contest which, since 2010, has been putting young designers from the best international fashion schools into contact with companies of the yarn industry, thus creating opportunities of professional growth and business development.

More than 5500 followers of the social media channel, which was launched early of June for this purpose, voted the projects developed by Sara Zanetti, from Polimoda in Florence, and by  Sara Kickmayer from Institut Français de la Mode in Paris, thanks to a survey started within this group; therefore, the two talents had the chance to win just as many scholarships, whose value is equal to 5, 000 euros each, to continue to study at the schools they attend. “The awards the community granted – Ornella Bignami, who has been following and supervising the project for 11 years, explains – have an actual worth, from the mere technical perspective too. Specifically, the creation by Sara Zanetti is worthy for her research of details, the combination between crochet works and macro inserts on knitwear which underline the full and comfortable volume of the item. Her proposal is a clear-cut example of creativity and craft skill combined with a brilliant feeling for colours.  As for Sara Kickmayer’s creation, instead, the persuasive factor was especially her new interpretation of the theme of the Contest, “Move Beyond”. Her item moves dynamically, beyond the body, using advanced manufacturing techniques to follow the circular shape of knitting”.

In addition to that, Maddalena Gentile was granted with a third partial scholarship, whose value is equal to 5000 euros, to attend the “Master in Creative Knitwear Design. Organizers selected this young creative talent because she showed a deep understanding of the intrinsic value of yarn and knitwear which is expressed by a set of techniques and points consistent with the silhouette and the presented theme.