Istituto Marangoni will take part in Dominicana Moda 2017, the most prestigious Fashion Week in Central America presenting I’M Alumni Collections ®evolution, a one-of-a-kind innovative mentoring project to promote the best and most talented alumni in the creation and presentation of their first official collection. The protagonist of the first edition is Armando Costa, whose collection will parade on the catwalk next October 20, at 10.30pm. His Spring/Summer 2018 collection, "Horror Vacui", draws inspiration from extravagant aesthetic and conceptual elements to create an accurate narrative development, with references to geographic and cultural settings with a strong symbolic value. The collection was created thanks to the crucial support of the project’s partners: Lanificio Luigi Ricceri for the fabrics, Grazia Bagnaresi for the collection production, Corto Moltedo for the purses and Aperlai for the footwear. Moreover, Swarovski crystals enriched the outfits, becoming the distinctive feature of the collection. Armando Costa, born in 1982, studied at the School of Fashion in Milan, graduating in 2006 in Fashion Design. There he undertook a design and bespoke journey that has led him to work as a consultant for several prestigious fashion houses in Paris and subsequently to design the brand bearing his name. His first collection debuted last 23^rd September, within the Milano Fashion Week. Istituto Marangoni’s commitment to promoting talent and creativity is reaffirmed by the long term collaboration agreement with the Dominican Republic for the assignment of 20 full scholarships a year to Dominican students who wish to attend a postgraduate fashion or design course at Istituto Marangoni in Italy. “Istituto Marangoni - explains Roberto Riccio, Group Managing Director of Istituto Marangoni - has always cared for the professional future of its students. Therefore, we are particularly proud of being able to offer this extraordinary opportunity, in which we strongly believe, so that true professionals of tomorrow may emerge. The participation at Dominicana Moda is a great opportunity for Armando Costa and for Istituto Marangoni too: an event that has become the most important fashion event of the Caribbean and Central America in just ten years, an International window to gain visibility and deal with leading companies and professionals of the fashion system looking for young designer”.