THE FUTURE OF FASHION: As a result of a mentorship path kicked off last year, Nensi Dojaka, the winner of the 2021 LVMH Prize for Young Designers, as well as Alfredo Cortese, founder of AC9, have each designed a capsule collection that will be part of No. 21’s spring 2022 collection.
Last September, No. 21, which was established by Alessandro Dell’Acqua, and its commercial partner Tomorrow London launched a program aimed at supporting emerging designers, and Dojana and AC9 were those selected. As per the program, Dell’Acqua offers a design and collection development consultancy service, while Tomorrow advises the designers in terms of production development, marketing and distribution.
Dell’Acqua and Tomorrow, which in May 2020 unveiled a partnership spanning distribution, events and strategy, also hosted the emerging brands’ sales campaigns at Milan’s Garage Ventuno showroom venue.
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Adding a further step to the collaboration, Dell’Acqua decided to ask Dojaka and Cortese to reinterpret the No. 21 aesthetic through their filter.
“I have the pleasure to announce a collaboration, which for the first time features two young talents,” commented Dell’Acqua. “At the conclusion of the mentorship program, I invited the designers to interpret the No. 21 style codes…and I am doubly happy that AC9 and Nensi Dojaka have accepted my offer.”
Based in London, Dojaka, who last Tuesday received the prestigious LVMH Prize from the hands of French actress Isabelle Huppert, is a graduate of Central Saint Martins where she launched her namesake label in 2017. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the university. During her studies, she interned for designer brands like Peter Pilotto and Fyodor Golan. For No. 21, she created nine designs crafted from stretch crepe de chine, all rendered in black.
Cortese, who launched AC9 in 2019, after pursuing a career as a publicist — he actually worked for No. 21’s communication department in the past — designed eight knitwear styles in Dell’Acqua’s signature nude tone.
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