The Kaleidoscope Project 

When Missoni calls, Istituto Marangoni Milano responds with enthusiasm, showcasing the future-oriented creativity that has always set it apart. Founded in 1953 by Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, the maison - an icon of Italian design and fashion -launched an inspiring mentorship challenge for all first-year students. Drawing on the brand’s rich archives, the brief invited participants to reinterpret multiplicity and metamorphosis by creating a series of mood boards, conceived as a true kaleidoscope of visions that brings tradition and innovation into conversation. The first mood board, Discover Yourself, explored each student’s personal visual identity, while the subsequent boards shifted focus to Missoni’s brand identity and what the maison represents for each creator today. 

Five Award-Winning Projects 

Among the 30 projects initially shortlisted, five received awards, with the winning students also earning financial contributions from the School to support their talent and continue their studies. Their creative drive demonstrates how Missoni’s vision remains extremely relevant and continues to inspire new generations of designers. From restaurants to capsule collections, prints, fragrances, and new retail experiences, the proposals deliver a  multidimensional interpretation of the Missoni lifestyle. 

The Winning Projects 

Asia Bianchi, Fashion Design & Accessories Student, created a knitwear capsule collection inspired by «the Space Age influence of the 1960s». The project reworks some of the maison’s most iconic prints and patterns, combining them into a patchwork that emerges in light, dynamic, and playful silhouettes. 

Zlata Zubkova, a Fashion Product Student, envisions Tropico Missoni - a restaurant «where the brand’s aesthetic meets tropical sensuality». This space merges nature and design, tradition and modernity, Italy and exoticism into a vibrant visual kaleidoscope. 

The theme of transformation continues with IPSE, a fragrance designed by Sofia Zimmardi, Fragrances & Cosmetics Product and Communication Student: it’s «a perfume in constant evolution, which changes over time and reacts to body temperature and emotional state». The bottle is inspired by an illustration from the Missoni Fall/Winter 1968 collection depicting two women, who symbolise the duality between outward appearance and true identity. 

Julia Migli Espinoza, a designer from the Fashion Design & Accessories course, reinterprets Missoni patterns by drawing inspiration from the concentric stratifications of agate—a stone with warm, deep hues—using it as a starting point «to explore the interaction between past and present». 

Finally, Kaleidoroom by Missoni - a project by Iulianna Shilova, an aspiring stylist from the course Fashion Styling & Creative Direction course - is a space designed for younger audiences, to be integrated into the brand’s flagship stores. This colourful, immersive environment reflects the maison’s philosophy and offers families a new kind of shopping experience. «Missoni could become the first luxury brand to engage and build loyalty with its future audience from childhood, through play, aesthetics, and a strong sense of belonging.»