NABA is an academy for training in art and design: it is the largest Academy of Fine Arts in Italy and the first to receive official recognition from the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) in 1981. With its two campuses in Milan and Rome, it offers first- and second-level courses in the fields of design, fashion design, graphics and communication, multimedia arts, new technologies, scenography and visual arts, for which it awards academic diplomas equivalent to university degrees, as well as PhDs and Special Programs. Founded by Ausonio Zappa in Milan in 1980, involving Guido Ballo and Tito Varisco at an early stage, and then activating a nucleus of artists including Gianni Colombo, the Academy has always aimed to challenge the rigidity of the academic tradition and introduce visions and languages closer to contemporary artistic practices and the system of art and creative professions. NABA has been selected by QS World University Rankings.® by Subject as the best Italian Academy of Fine Arts and among the top 100 institutions in the world in Art & Design, has been listed by Domus Magazine among the 100 best schools of Design and Architecture in Europe, and by Frame among the 30 best postgraduate schools of Design and Fashion in the world.
During the Making Of for Fashion Graduate Italia 2025, we closely followed students from NABA's Two-Year Fashion Design Specialist Program: Valentina Plisko, Romane Salomé and Xinyi Liu.
From the tailoring and pattern making workshop to the manipulations and prints in the Textile Design workshop to the pattern tests for the finalization of the garments together with the teachers, each phase was approached with a spirit of experimentation aimed at authentically expressing one's creative identity.
This experience highlighted the students' hard work and dedication to creating collections that reflect their diverse cultures and geographic backgrounds, as well as their commitment to bringing to life creations that carry responsible and conscious messages.
On the occasion of Fashion Graduate Italia 2025, NABA presents the collections of the Two-Year Postgraduate Program in Fashion Design. The garments, selected by a jury of industry professionals, are born from a path that integrates tailoring, pattern making and textile design, enhancing research and experimentation in areas such as upcycling, recovery, generative design, artificial intelligence, as well as heritage and know-how from their respective countries of origin. The students' diverse cultural backgrounds are reflected in projects that transform personal identities and responsible messages into visual narratives with international appeal.
