Milan
C.L.A.S.S. ICON is the annual award which bestows a visionary creative who tunes fashion design with responsible innovation and communication, raising awareness to new sustainable values. For an entire year, C.L.A.S.S. and Gilberto Calzolari bring forward a set of initiatives on research and communication to inspire both professionals and fashion lovers. Together they team up on materials research and educational projects both online and offline
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. Sustainability culture neither! That’s why those great people striving to trigger change are definitively worth celebrating. That’s what C.L.A.S.S. ICON is about” says Giusy Bettoni, founder and CEO of C.L.A.S.S. ecohub.
“Gilberto’s philosophy and collections totally capture the ZeitGeist of responsible and contemporary fashion. His approach is truly three-dimensional bringing together design, innovation and sustainability. We named him C.L.A.S.S. ICON 2020 not only because we share the same values but also because he strives to convey them to the end consumers with a powerful and inspiring message”.
For example, with the ultimate FW 20-21 TILT SYSTEM collection, the designer has blended smart-new and circular economy-sourced materials challenging the seasonality of fashion. An intriguing way of working, communicating and create new aesthetics.
“I am so excited to roll up my sleeves and team up with C.L.A.S.S. to share a common path. Looking forward for an inspiring year to come!”, comments Gilberto Calzolari.
Born and raised in Milan, where he graduated at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Gilberto has worked as a designer for some of the most prestigious international luxury brands such as Marni, Alberta Ferretti, Valentino, Miu Miu and Giorgio Armani before launching his own brand in 2015. “GILBERTO CALZOLARI is the made in Italy high-end prêt-à-porter brand with a “green” heart that believes that elegance and beauty must go hand in hand with respect for our planet”.
In 2018 Gilberto Calzolari was awarded with the prestigious Franca Sozzani Green Carpet Award as Best Emerging Designer, while in 2019 he won the Monte Carlo Fashion Week Award as Best Emerging Designer for his contribution to sustainable fashion.
Like partners C.L.A.S.S. and Gilberto will team up to draw up THE SMART MANIFESTO, an annual declaration mapping values, priorities and ways of working to make fashion more responsible, ethic and innovative. The manifesto will be launched by C.L.A.S.S. and Gilberto this September in order to support the launch of his new collection, TILT SYSTEM Vol. 2.
For further information please contact: [email protected]
About C.L.A.S.S. – acronym of Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy – is the international ecohub founded by Giusy Bettoni in 2007 which has established itself as a reference point in the fashion and textile business for brands, designers, manufacturers, students and all those determined to make fashion smarter.
C.L.A.S.S. mission is to provide professionals the strategic tools to trigger change and to grow both in responsibility and competitiveness. The ecohub pursues its goals by merging design and innovation with the new sustainable values contemporary consumers are looking for. C.L.A.S.S. portfolio of services includes:
- The SMART TOOLS, a platform of responsible, circular and traceable materials, technologies and cutting-edge innovations for both production processes and communication, all injecting sustainability into textiles, fashion collections and companies’ performance.
- The SMART ACADEMY, a rich programme of events, talks, classes and services with a very important goal: to educate, raise awareness and inspire professionals, students and even end consumers. Because there is no sustainability without knowledge.
- The SMART SOURCE, the inspirational materials’ bank and samples’ e-shop for students, designers and brands willing to explore and test sustainable fabrics.
- Over the years, C.L.A.S.S. has teamed up with some of the most influential players in the virtuous textile and fashion business such as Première Vision, Fashion 4 Development, The Sustainable Angle and more. Founder Giusy Bettoni is also Curator of the Sustainable Thinking by Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, mentor of the Accelerator Programme of Fashion For Good and serves on the CFDA + Lexus Fashion Initiative Advisory Board and was a speaker at the 2018 CFDA Fashion Education Summit. C.L.A.S.S. initiatives are fully aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, especially with the goals: 9 – Increase Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, 12 – Influence Responsible Consumption and Production and 17 – Build Partnerships for the Goals. www.classecohub.org
About Gilberto Calzolari. Gilberto Calzolari was born and raised in Milan, where he graduated at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. After an impressive career of 15+ years in the fashion industry working for some of the most prestigious international luxury brands such as Marni, Alberta Ferretti, Valentino, Miu Miu and Giorgio Armani, in 2015 Calzolari decided it was time to create his own high-end prêt-à-porter brand of sustainable fashion made in Italy, which bears his name. His collections have been presented during the Milano Fashion Week, Showcase Altaroma, the Next Trend Event in Milan and Rome, the Budapest Central Europe Fashion Week, the Monte Carlo Fashion Week, Expo China and the White’s WSM Fashion Reboot, the first event fully dedicated to sustainable fashion and innovation. In 2018 Calzolari was awarded with the prestigious Franca Sozzani Green Carpet Award as Best Emerging Designer, while in 2019 he won the Monte Carlo Fashion Week Award as Best Emerging Designer for his contribution to sustainable.
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