AMIGOS’ JURY: AZ Academy, the educational program established by Richemont Group’s Milan-based corporate school Creative Academy in partnership with Rome’s Accademia Costume & Moda fashion school, has revealed the panel of jurors for its Business for Designers project.
Designers Isabel Marant and Lutz Huelle, Richemont’s chief executive officer Nicolas Bos and Philippe Fortunato, CEO of fashion and accessories maisons at Compagnie Financière Richemont, are among the fashion professionals leading the 18-member jury tasked with selecting the 20 finalists admitted to the program.
Other jurors include Mauro Grimaldi, strategic adviser to Fortunato; Lupo Lanzara, chairman of Accademia Costume & Moda; Villa Noailles’ president Pascale Mussard and deputy director Magalie Guerin; Barbara Franchin, president and artistic director of Fondazione ITS International Talent Support; Serge Carreira, director of emerging brands initiative at the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode; Beppe Angiolini, owner of luxury multibrand boutique Sugar and honorary president of Camera Buyer Italia; Burak Cakmak, CEO of the Fashion Commission at the Ministry of Culture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Tuomas Laitinen, program director, MFA Fashion Design and The Arts at Parsons Paris and creative director, BFA Fashion Design at the U.S.-based The New School; art director, designer and consultant Patrick Van Ommeslaeghe; Marco Panzeri, CEO of fashion manufacturing group CIEFFE; Sara Sozzani Maino, creative director of Fondazione Sozzani, as well as 1 Granary founder and editor in chief Olya Kuryshchuk, and Sergio Tamborini, president of Italian textile association Sistema Moda Italia.
The post-graduate educational initiative kicks off in January with the first yearlong academic courses across management, innovation, sustainability, production, finance and marketing held at Accademia Costume & Moda’s Milan campus.
The 20 finalists will be revealed on Oct. 15. They include recent graduate designers from international fashion schools and independent designers already working in fashion, leather goods and accessories.
At the end of their academic year, designers will be offered a chance to pitch their business case proposal to potential investors.
Aimed at supporting independent fashion designers, AZ Academy germinated from the now shuttered AZ Factory fashion brand.
Initially a new vehicle for acclaimed fashion designer Alber Elbaz that evolved into a hub for serial collaborations following his death in April 2021 from COVID-19, the start-up morphed from fashion brand into the current educational platform last May, ceasing retail and design operations.