Ann Demeulemeester x Istituto Marangoni
ANN DEMEULEMEESTER, AN ICON OF REBELLIOUS AND SOPHISTICATED LUXURY
She has dressed Rihanna, Dua Lipa and Madonna. The queens of pop culture. And actresses such as Jenna Ortega and Uma Thurman. But it is in the presence of the high priestess of rock, Patti Smith – who has chosen her designs on many occasions – that Ann Demeulemeester’s heart beats the fastest. Because the romantic, Gothic black-and-white aesthetic so dear to the iconic star, has always been her natural calling. A precise, distinctive and powerful aesthetic code.
And it continues to be so today, under the creative direction of the Italian Stefano Gallici, who has picked up the baton of the founder, breathing new life into the brand’s rock-inspired spirit with energy and dynamism. After all, how could anyone not be inspired by a designer who has made fashion history? A member of the legendary Antwerp Six – alongside Dirk Bikkembergs, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene and Marina Yee – Ann Demeulemeester has masterfully blended a rebellious spirit and punk attitude with the elegance of a contemporary dandy: confident, sharp and never coquettish.
Today, the brand – backed by the Claudio Antonioli Group, which acquired it in 2020 – has its sights set on the world's leading fashion capitals as it continues to expand its universe. Among them, New York. And it is in the Big Apple that Ann Demeulemeester has symbolically brought together the students of Istituto Marangoni Milano.
Explore the Master's Degree courses in Fashion Business at the Milan school
AN EXPERIENCE THAT COMBINES CREATIVITY, VISION AND IDENTITY WITH LEARNING
Working with a brand such as Ann Demeulemeester, so deeply inspiring and widely recognised as a benchmark in the contemporary fashion landscape, represents an extraordinary opportunity for students of Istituto Marangoni Milano to explore a world where they can express their own sense of creativity.It's all about tapping into a strong and distinctive aesthetic language, while getting up close and personal with the inner workings of a brand that many of them aspire to join or collaborate with in the future.
An experience that goes beyond academic study, becoming a real-world testing ground that showcases talent, vision and design skills. At the same time, it presents an important opportunity for raising one's profile, enabling students to introduce themselves in a compelling and effective manner to one of the most influential figures in the sector.
THE PROJECT WITH ANN DEMEULEMEESTER TRAINS FUTURE FASHION PROFESSIONALS
The Istituto Marangoni Milano contest with Ann Demeulemeester was an opportunity to stimulate creativity and strategic analysis, simulating the dynamics of the fashion system in a concrete way. The objective is to develop skills that are immediately applicable in the professional world. The students participated in an interdisciplinary experience that involved the Master's Degrees in Fashion Buying & Merchandising, Fashion Omnichannel & E-Commerce and Fashion Promotion, Communication & Digital Media. At their side were the lecturers of the respective courses – Andrea Doroldi, Daniele D'Orazi and Carlos Gago Rodriguez – who recount the most significant moments of this exciting project here.
The Observatory is one of the projects created as part of the competition, exploring the dynamic interplay between creativity and strategic analysis
TEAMWORK: A WINNING ADVANTAGE
The Ann Demeulemeester competition is a clear example of how Istituto Marangoni Milano equips students to enter the fashion industry with confidence and make a meaningful impact from the very beginning of their professional careers. Teamwork, with specific responsibilities and the challenge of a complex brief, reflects the current dynamics in project management.
Tutor D'Orazi emphasises this point: "Having the opportunity to experience these dynamics first-hand during their studies enhances not only students' technical skills, but also their problem-solving abilities, capacity for collaboration, and ability to present solutions in a structured and professional manner". And his colleague Doroldi echoes this view: "The ability to collaborate on and present a project as a team, combined with assigning each member responsibility from the very beginning for specific aspects of the project, is something they will encounter throughout their future professional careers".
Turning data into strategy
Building a strategic product vision
Giving shape and value to ideas: storytelling and communication
Fashion Buying & Merchandising
Building a strategic product vision
Working on a brand such as Ann Demeulemeester enabled students to develop expertise in offer development and brand positioning. As Course Leader Andrea Doroldi explains: "Working on such an inspiring and influential brand is a unique opportunity. Students engage with something that resonates with them personally and with which they aspire to collaborate in the future".
But the complexity of the brand also called for a shift in approach: "It is a sophisticated brand with an esoteric aesthetic, which encouraged students to step outside their comfort zone and strike a balance between creativity and practical, technical solutions".
Students worked on a real-world retail format – the mono-brand store – learning how to balance global brand guidelines with the specific requirements of local markets. "The challenge was to balance the brand's international image with the specific demands of the local context, right down to the neighbourhood level".
The skills developed: product range development, budget management, and the ability to convert brand identity into concrete and coherent choices.
Fashion Omnichannel & E-Commerce
Turning data into strategy
The project featured a strong analytical and digital dimension, exploring data, customer touchpoints and consumer behaviour.
As Tutor Daniele D'Orazi explains: "The team worked on analysing the different touchpoints, benchmarking activities and building a coherent omnichannel customer journey, transforming insights into operational actions". The research phase was particularly extensive, combining different tools and sources. "The students developed netnographic research using digital and social platforms, supported by trend analysis and data intelligence tools to understand an ever-evolving market".
The use of technology played a key role: "Artificial intelligence was used as a support in both the analytical and design phases, making the strategy more data-driven, personalised and scalable".
The skills developed: growth in the definition of objectives and KPIs, in the management of priorities and in the development of performance-oriented roadmaps.
Fashion Promotion, Communication & Digital Media
Giving shape and value to ideas: storytelling and communication
The students of the Master's Degree in Fashion Promotion, Communication & Digital Media worked on building the communication strategy, transforming data and insights into creative concepts.
As Tutor Carlos Gago Rodriguez explains: "The students started with a logical and value-based analysis of the brand, integrating data and trends to transform them into concepts and activations consistent with the brief". A central aspect was the development of soft skills, which are fundamental in the professional context: "It's not just about presenting an idea, but about selling a project to a company".
The ability to summarise and express oneself clearly were key elements: "The best projects are those that manage to respond to the brief in a way that is sometimes unexpected, but always clear, structured and convincing".
The skills developed: the construction of data-driven creative concepts, the development of integrated communication strategies, and the ability to summarise and communicate a vision.
Beyond The Sixth is an example of a project carried out by the students of the Master's Degree in Fashion Promotion, Communication & Digital Media
Explore the programmes offered by the Milan School and begin your journey into the creative industries.
THE THREE AWARD-WINNING PROJECTS
In the West Village, within a hidden courtyard on Perry Street, surrounded by jazz clubs and fashionable restaurants, Malia Bejerano, Maria De Castro, Shira Katz and Shay Ben Simon (Master's Degree in Fashion Buying & Merchandising) envision the brand's new New York destination. The atmosphere is retro-rock: electric guitars, vinyl records, a Persian carpet, works of art. For the launch, an exclusive evening with musicians, designers, actors and artists.
With Haven of Margins, Letizia Conti, Giulia Piu, Lucrezia Scorpo, Chiara Signaroldi and Ginevra Turco (Master's Degree in Fashion Promotion, Communication & Digital Media) instead choose NoHo, a neighbourhood of cultural fusion and countercultures. Here, art, music and spirituality coexist in a delicate harmony. The opening comes to life with a DJ set among murals and vintage Walkmans, while a special Instagram account – Devotion Book Club – becomes the heart of a dedicated digital community.
Finally, Between Sound & Silence, designed by Arianna De Santis, Christina Foerster, Regina Mariana Munlloch Noguera, Thitaree On-Ohun and Haoying Wu (Master's Degree in Fashion Omnichannel & E-Commerce), creates a true poetry of contrasts. Spaces where sound and silence alternate, creating an immersive and almost meditative experience. In the store, areas of complete silence offer a rare break from the urban noise. Online, the community grows through a mapping of the most evocative New York locations – between silence and music – transformed into social content in a striking black-and-white aesthetic.