An enclave of research and innovation within MICAM Milano’s unique exhibition space.
The 93rd edition of the international footwear exhibition scheduled for March 13
through 15 brings back Emerging Designers, the most interesting new voices on the
international scene, selected by a panel of experts exclusively for the event.

At a complicated time abounding in contradictions, the young designers’ point of view
offers the most important portrait of what the future has in store for society, fashion
and style. Key values that will constitute the world of fashion in the years to come and
have already made their mark on the footwear community emerge, from demand for
sustainability to new and age-old construction techniques.

In this edition, the Emerging Designers ready to show trade fair visitors their style
intuitions will be Alessandra Balbi, Ammabile, Daniel Essa, Jerelyn Creado,
Markus Alexander, Meher Kakalia, Momoc, O.T.A. Paris, Skua Studio, Thread,
Titi Adesa and Umoja.

A great focus on research, choice of materials, design and product presentation are
the features shared by all the creations of these rising stars of style, selected by a
panel of judges including experts of the calibre of Ernesto Esposito, Angelo Lanza,
Eva Geraldine Fontanelli, Mauro Galligari, Maximilian Linz and Riccardo Slavik.

The styles proposed by the young designers range from pop citations to study of the
most classic forms, from metropolitan atmospheres echoing with electronic music to
rediscovery of natural and scrap materials for surprising new fashion ideas.
Sustainability is a fil rouge uniting all the proposals, which all have a strong cultural
identity reflecting their designers’ multiple interests and careers. There are plenty of unusual experiments and original revisitations of models that have
gone down in the history of footwear.

THE DESIGNERS
Alessandra Balbi – (brand_Alessandra Balbi): from a degree in Architecture at
the Politecnico di Milano to the London College of Fashion. Her collection is a blend of
these two different dimensions, skilfully woven together by the artisans of the Valle
del Brenta, in Veneto.

Rafaela Zago – (brand_Ammabile): from Brazil, her entirely hand-crafted
collection is named after her grandmother; she chooses exotic eco-friendly skins for
her creations. She studied in London.

Daniel Essa – (brand_Daniel Essa): born in Syria, where he cultivated a passion
for sewing as a small boy. He studied economy but also attended the prestigious
French fashion school ESMOD in Damascus. As a refugee fleeing from the war in his
country, he went first to Spain and then France where he launched his collection in
2018. His sneakers are also worn by Whoopi Goldberg. In his collections, he uses
cowhides from sustainably raised livestock.

Jerelyn Creado – (brand_Jerelyn Creado): born in India, she studied in London
and Milan. She believes firmly in sustainability, as a lasting value and not just a passing
fashion, and chooses to work with real leather because it is biodegradable.

Marcus Thomas – (brand_Marcus Alexander): from Oakland, in California, he
outsources production of his shoes to an all-female factory in China.

Meher Kakalia – (brand_Meher Kakalia): born in Karachi, Pakistan, she studied
finance in London before discovering her true calling and returning to her homeland
to become a stylist. Meher’s colourful collection owes much to the embroiderers and
ancient traditions of her country.

Gabriela Machado – (brand_Momoc): born in Spain, she worked in Luxembourg in
the field of finance but after a few months spent at an organic farm in New Zealand
she discovered the value of the circular economy. After becoming interested in circular
fashion, she set up her own company and started to research alternative materials
such as pineapple and cactus leather, creating a number of eco-friendly collections.

Arnaud Barboteau – (brand_O.T.A. Paris): the founder of a French brand, Arnaud
produces sneakers with soles made out of recycled rubber tyres: 3 pairs of shoes can
be made using one tyre. Alongside his recycled soles, Arnaud chooses leathers from
Portugal and Italy in order to offer the highest quality.

Naomi Hille and Anousjka Röben – (brand_Skua Studio): they are both from
Holland and have already taken part as newcomers in various European fashion weeks.
Thushini Fernando – (brand_Thread): born in Sri Lanka, she was brought up in
Milan because her mother worked as a baby-sitter for a family with close connections
to the fashion world. After her degree, she attended an important fashion school in
Milan and launched her career.

Titi Adesanya – (brand_Titi Adesa): brought up in Lagos, in Nigeria, and London;
she studied fashion in the British capital but it was in Milan, and Italy, that she found
the quality materials and techniques she needed to create her collections.
Lancine Koulibaly and Dieuveil Ngoubou – (brand_Umoja): from Guinea and
the Congo, they do not use animal skins and artificial dyes, preferring natural
materials: organic cotton, bark cloth, mineral fabrics and plant-based dyes. They use
banana (musa) fibre and banana bark, from which they extract fibres using an ancient
technique.

Find out more at: https://milano.themicam.com/
#micam #bettertogether