For its 10th edition, the Loro Piana Knit Design Award returned to Milan with a renewed focus on craftsmanship, colour, and the evolving language of knitwear. Hosted at Galleria Rossana Orlandi under the patronage of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, this year’s competition invited students from leading fashion schools around the world to interpret the theme Knitting Light – Craft on the Evolution of Colour.
The result was a series of projects that moved between emotion, technology, transformation, and storytelling, proving that knitwear continues to be one of fashion’s most experimental mediums.
The 2026 award was presented to The Swedish School of Textiles, with students Halla Lilja Ármannsdóttir and Viola Schmidt recognised for their project Glitsky – Mother of Pearl.
Inspired by the phenomenon of sunlight hitting crystallised clouds, the project translated iridescent colour shifts into a transformable knitted garment made from cashmere and speciality yarns. Diamond motifs can be attached and detached through an integrated linking system, creating a modular silhouette that changed depending on movement and perspective.
Beyond its technical complexity, the piece captured the spirit of this year’s theme by treating colour as something emotional and immersive rather than static. The structured upper layer explored vibrant tonal shifts, while the softer underlayer represented reflected light. The jury praised the project for its craftsmanship, innovation, and ability to balance heritage with experimentation.
As part of the prize, the winners received a scholarship, a trophy, and the opportunity to complete the garment within Loro Piana’s knitwear workshops in Piedmont alongside the Maison’s artisans. The finished piece will later be showcased at Pitti Filati in Florence.
While the Swedish School of Textiles claimed the top honour, the wider competition revealed how younger designers are increasingly using knitwear as a form of narrative design.
Accademia Costume & Moda presented My Wondering Creature, a transformable project inspired by Pinocchio and the Tin Man, combining softness and metallic structure to explore identity and introspection.
Bunka Fashion College students drew from Junichiro Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows, exploring the relationship between light, darkness, and Japanese aesthetics through knitted forms that embraced ambiguity and depth.
Donghua University approached the theme through maritime imagery in Sailing, blending luminous yarns, nautical references, and fluid silhouettes inspired by the sea and shifting reflections on water.
Meanwhile, École Duperré Paris turned toward contemporary digital culture with Nuit Blanche – Scrolling Through the Night, a project inspired by late-night screen exposure, artificial light, and the visual language of “bedrotting.” The collection contrasted the intimacy of bedroom spaces with the saturated glow of phone screens through chiaroscuro-inspired knitwear.
Elsewhere, Heriot-Watt University explored metamorphosis and body perception through distorted knitted forms inspired by butterflies and shifting identities in a project titled Second Form.
Parsons School of Design’s Lichtspiel translated the northern lights and tidal movement into adjustable garments inspired by fishing nets and maritime construction.
Shih Chien University’s Back Home – Formosa focused on memory and homeland, weaving together imagery of mountains, coastlines, and city life to reflect emotional connections to place.
Together, the projects reflected a broader shift happening across fashion education. Knitwear is no longer being treated purely as craft or technical exercise, but as a medium capable of carrying emotion, identity, and cultural commentary.
For Loro Piana, the award continues to reinforce its investment in the next generation of textile innovation while preserving the craftsmanship that defines the Maison. As the competition marks its tenth anniversary, the Knit Design Award increasingly feels less like a student competition and more like a glimpse into the future of luxury fashion itself.
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