A celebration of style and creativity in the iconic Città dei Sassi which with its timeless beauty continues to be an epicenter for artistic and cultural expression.
Great success for the Fashion Award “Città dei Sassi” where style, elegance, internationality characterized the thirteenth edition of the International Competition for Haute Couture stylists and Excellence Award. The aim of the “Città dei Sassi” Fashion Award is to identify, enhance and reward creatives, designers to discover emerging stylists and/or professionals in the field of women’s fashion and to enhance the talent of the Excellences of fashion in the splendid setting of the “Sassi” of Matera (Unesco World Heritage Site and European Capital of Culture 2019.
The review/event now in its 13th edition held in Piazza San Francesco – Matera (Italy), conceived and organized by the Cultural Association – Officina della Cultura – Matera, Artistic Director Enzo Centonze, Direction and Choreography by Stefania Coralluzzo as well as responsible for the entire Artistic part, Format Director Paolo Fumarulo, Press Office and Public Relations Nicola Altomonte, with the official photographers Aurora and Sandro Quarto (Matera), Alessandro Palmiero (Cagliari), Enzo Dellatti (Taranto), Reggie Bell (Washington – USA) and Vincenzo Testa (Cagliari), with the participation of the classical dance teacher Antonietta Buccolieri, with the presentation of the television host Beppe Convertini and the presence of the actor Massimiliano Morra.
In the suggestive setting of the Sassi di Matera, fashion becomes art in motion, a universal language capable of telling stories, cultures and dreams. In particular, the event emphasized the importance of upcycling in the fashion sector. This event highlighted how creativity can be expressed through the valorization of waste materials, transforming them into unique and high-quality garments. The central message that the “Città dei Sassi” Fashion Award with the Associazione Officina della Cultura – Matera wanted to launch from Matera (European Capital of Culture 2019) is that fashion is not only aesthetic, but also a powerful vehicle for promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. The integration of art underlines the link between tradition and innovation, showing how local culture can be reinterpreted in a modern key through design and upcycling. This winning approach not only preserves the environment, but also stimulates creativity, demonstrating that the future of fashion lies in responsibility and sustainable innovation.
The exhibition/event opened with the inauguration of the “Week of Culture” in the Palazzo Ducale Malvinni-Malvezzi – Matera, of the Premio ModArt Exhibition (7th edition), entitled “Donne in Trasform-azione” curated by the artist Felicia Curci. The art exhibition is a collective of 30 national and international artists in the categories: painting, sculpture, photography, artistic jewelry and book presentation, namely: Emanuel Acciarito, Marco Arcioni, Pepperio Barbino, Dianella Bartolini, Basia Arte/Barbara Gerardi, Carla Bruschi, Francesca Cambi, Bianca Cassano, Laura Cavanna, Eleonora Curci, Felicia Curci, Paolo Dallorto, Tina De Stefano, Angelo Di Cuia, Maddalena Franguelli, Sahar Hamdi, Rocchina Lepore, Nicola Lisanti, Angela Menchise, Chiara Quadri, Fabrizio Santoro, Giusy Tamburrano, Ida Tricarico, Sergio Villa, Cinzia Viola, Annunziata Martiradonna, Rosalba Stasolla, Maria Teresa Andrulli, Claudia Perdicchia and Caro.
The Artists tell the journey of personal and collective evolution through their works. The exhibition is a tribute to the strength, resilience and creativity of Women. Each work presented is a piece of a larger story, a narrative that explores the themes of metamorphosis, identity and the struggle for self-determination. Artists have used their talent to address the challenges of their time, redefine aesthetic and social standards, and transform the perception of the role of women in society. The exhibition was attended by the historian and art critic Prof. Giorgio Gregorio Grasso.
Following during the “Week of Culture”, again in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palazzo Ducale Malvinni-Malvezzi – Matera (Italy), was the presentation of the book “Ma chi l’aveva detto?!” with the author the journalist, writer and fashion critic Antonio Mancinelli, moderator Rosalba Stasolla published by La Nave di Teseo.
Thirty years after the death of the designer Franco Moschino, Rossella Jardini, under the pen of the journalist, Antonio Mancinelli, has decided to tell an extraordinary story. A temporal journey into fashion, in the form of an illustrated and subversive atlas. Where images, ideas and experiments intertwine, transporting the reader back in time, to forty years ago.
Franco Moschino’s right-hand man, as well as friend and confidant, Rossella Jardini perpetuated, following the founder’s death in 1994, the success of the brand for twenty years. She created innovative models, but respected the codes of the maison. And what she learned from her dear friend, taking care of every aspect: from the choice of fabrics to the creation of prototypes, from advertising campaigns to fashion shows. The only woman to speak to the boards of directors, generally composed of only men, developing commercial strategies, sales tactics and planning collections in every product sector of the maison, fashion, beauty, accessories and glasses.
Media partner Fashion Channel, created with the patronage and collaboration of the Basilicata Region, the Province and Municipality of Matera, the APT Azienda di Promozione Turistica della Basilicata, Fondazione Matera – Basilicata 2019, Banca Popolare di Puglia e Basilicata, Cosp Tecno Service, Ingest, R.E. Service, of the Identity Agency Booking & Management of Rome and Milan, of the Hair Stylist Elisa Massari and Patrizia Leontino team and of Sara de Virgilio with her SDV Make up Academy.
The event, rich in a show structured with television times, is reserved for the new generation of fashion creators at a national and international level who will be able to give life to their high fashion creations, proposing their ideas of elegance and creativity in front of a large audience, mostly made up of company representatives and experts in the sector, press, authorities and the many tourists who crowd the City of Sassi in the summer. The review/event saw the participation and speeches of the Mayor of the Municipality of Matera Domenico Bennardi and the Regional Councilor of Basilicata, former President of the Province of Matera, Piero Marrese.
The winners will be chosen by a prestigious international jury of professionals (journalists, stylists, industry experts, trade associations and institutions): The jury is composed of fashion designers: Addy van den Krommenacker, Giovanni Cannistrà, Michele Miglionico, journalists: Antonio Mancinelli, Bea Spediacci (Fashion Channel), Carmela Cosentino (La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno), Fabiana Agnello – affaritaliani.it, Rossella Montemurro Editor-in-Chief TuttoH24, Michele Capolupo Editor-in-Chief of SassiLive, the History of Costume teacher: Rosalba Stasolla, the fashion expert: Marzio Nocera (Fashion Channel), Elena Ronzi (Fashion Channel), Sergio Palomba Basilicatamedia, Anna Giammetta Giornalemio.it, Felicia Curci Art Curator and Leo Montemurro (CNA).
Five competitors competed for clothing: Antonietta Circolo, Elisa Gibaldi, Antonietta and Lucia Summa, Elena Sviridova, Carmen Vulcano, and two competitors for accessories: Stephanie Ardesia, Lea Froger-Combelles. The winner of the thirteenth edition of the 2024 Fashion Award “Città dei Sassi” was Carmen Vulcano from Messina.
Other awards were given during the evening:
Fashion Award 2024 – Cinema to the designer Antonietta Circolo;
Fashion Award 2024- Upcycling to the designer Annalisa Di Lazzaro;
Fashion Award 2024 – Handmade to the designers Stephanie Ardiaca and Lea Froger-Combelles;
Fashion Award 2024 – Career to the designer Addy van den Krommenacker with the following motivation: “For over two decades, he has consolidated his name as an emblem of excellence in the panorama of Haute Couture and Prêt-à-Porter. Synonymous with class and elegance, he has been able to represent true and precious uniqueness at an international level, with creations that embody timeless luxury and stylistic innovation.”;
Fashion Award 2024 – Fashion Award Excellence to the designer Giovanni Cannistrà with the following motivation: “For having been able to transform luxury and refinement into a modern language, an authentic expression of his taste, his elegance and his profound culture. He has been able to represent the true precious uniqueness of Italian Haute Couture, becoming an ambassador of an excellence that combines tradition and innovation, making each of his creations a symbol of timeless art and beauty.”;
Fashion Award 2024 – Journalism to the journalist, writer, fashion critic Antonio Mancinelli with the following motivation: “With the his deep knowledge and sensitivity, he was able to explore the world of fashion by going beyond appearances, interpreting it as a phenomenon intrinsically linked to social, economic and anthropological changes. Through his analyses, he highlighted how fashion is not just a question of style, but a reflection and a driver of cultural and social changes. His ability to grasp and narrate these complex dynamics, making profound concepts accessible to the general public, makes him an essential point of reference in the panorama of contemporary fashion criticism.”
Fashion Award 2024 – Artist Excellence to the actor Massimiliano Morra, with the following motivation: for his style and elegance capable of creating wonderful synergies between fashion and cinema.
Special Award “Regione Basilicata” to Prof. Antonello Di Pinto. This recognition, awarded to his brilliant artistic career and, in particular, for his fundamental discovery of the work “Ecce homo” by Caravaggio, represents a tribute to his invaluable contribution to the world of art.
A special moment of the evening was the presentation of the 2024 “Couturier” Fashion Award to Italian and international stylists: Rosa Addabbo, Annalisa Di Lazzaro, Erasmo Fiorentino, Bianca Gadola – Atelier Bianca, Eugenia and Cecilia Naty, Sally Salas.
Closing the evening were two protagonists of Haute Couture: Addy van den Krommenacker, a Dutch stylist of European fame, whose collection also boasts magnificent brocades and voluminous models that recall the court of Louis XVI and the opulent ball gowns of royal dinners in the 1950s and 1960s; Giovanni Cannistrà, from Catania who presented a collection inspired by Mediterranean eclecticism for bouclé suits and evening dresses in flowing and luminous organza, floral designs and cashmere motifs intertwine to create that unexpected oriental flavor.
The thirteenth edition of the 2024 Fashion Award “Città dei Sassi” was a great success, confirming the event as one of the most anticipated and fascinating moments in the panorama of Italian fashion. Held in the splendid setting of the Sassi di Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Award was able to perfectly combine the elegance of sartorial creations with the historical and artistic beauty of the city, transforming the city of Matera into a stage where sartorial art met the visual art of painting, sculpture and writing, giving life to one of the events of rare beauty and creativity.