CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards 2025: Milan Celebrates Fashion, Art, and Sustainability
Milan, Teatro alla Scala. No stage lights were needed to realise that the true performance at the CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards 2025 was the ability to weave art, fashion, and civic responsibility into a single narrative. Hosting the evening was actress Shailene Woodley, known for TV series The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Big Little Lies. Then came Roberto Bolle, who reminded everyone that dance can become both a political manifesto and a collective body with Bolero. Finally, Anna Wintour, who chose Milan to pay tribute to Giorgio Armani, the man who more than anyone else has defined the very idea of responsible elegance.
The award’s jury, promoted by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, was chaired by Paola Deda, Chairperson of the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion and Director at UNECE, and included figures such as Teneshia Carr, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Blanc Magazine, Federico Marchetti, Chairman of The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Fashion Task Force and Founder of YOOX NET-A-PORTER Group, and artist Michelangelo Pistoletto.
Organised in collaboration with the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion and the City of Milan, the ceremony honoured ten leading voices rethinking the entire industry. The themes ranged from artisanal excellence to circular economy, climate action, and support for a new generation of designers with The Bicester Collection Award for Emerging Designers (the finalists were INSTITUTION by Galib Gassanoff, SAKE, and Simon Cracker). On stage, alongside the jury and winners, was a long list of guests. Among them: Kelly Rutherford, Jesse Williams, Tony Garn, Trudie Styler, Iman, Miuccia Prada with Raf Simons, Daniel Lee, Francesca Bellettini, Simone Bellotti, and Lorenzo Serafini.
The flawless orchestration of the Milanese evening bore the signature of Balich Wonder Studio: “We strongly believe in the value of the Sustainable Fashion Awards,” said Marco Balich, Board Chairman of the Studio. “Our creative approach supports this important commitment to contribute to a better future for the planet.” The creative powerhouse also seized the occasion to launch its new label, BESPOKE, dedicated to luxury events in the fashion and jewellery worlds.
The new entity is led by Valentina Saluzzi, Managing Partner of Balich Wonder Studio France, and Carolina Dotti, Director Brand Experiences Business Unit. BESPOKE inherits the vision that live entertainment can become emotional haute couture: tailor-made experiences for brands, capable of transforming values and identity into immersive storytelling. “In today’s luxury world, working with fashion and jewellery means embracing meticulous dedication, while expressing a brand’s heritage and identity in seamless harmony with its creative direction,” explained Dotti. And as Saluzzi added, “Events are no longer just about presenting an aesthetic. The way brands connect with their audiences has profoundly changed: today, clients are looking for engaging experiences that create a sense of belonging and allow them to share values.” A new code, moving between artistic excellence and cultural crossovers—proof that even the fashion system, at times, knows how to dance on pointe.
Photos: Ludovica Arcero and Niccolò Campita
Text: Germano D’Acquisto
