UP TO YOU ANTHOLOGY and Istituto Marangoni kicked off 2021 with a fresh start by working together on the Design your Bag project. An innovative designer bag platform, UTY partnered with the world-renowned fashion and design school to target an international talent pool. Istituto Marangoni Alumni all over the world were challenged to design their dream bag, with no limits to their creativity.

After launching the project at the beginning of March, the Alumni were invited to share their designs and to craft a business and communication strategy for their ideal bag.

Both Istituto Marangoni and UTY passionately believe in investing in young talent. The purpose of the Design Your Bag project was to give them an opportunity to express their creativity and bring their ideas to the market.

Several projects were submitted, all of which were designed to an impressively high level of quality, detail and vision. Sitting on the selection committee, Giulio Cappellini (Designer, Art Director and Lecturer at Istituto Marangoni), Davide Petraroli (Professor, PL Accessories Design), Sergio Nava (Director of Education, Milano Design School) and Nicolò Gavazzi (Founder of UP TO YOU ANTHOLOGY) thoroughly examined all the projects received and selected one of them, which will be produced in collaboration with UTY.

The winner of the contest is Patrick James Almera with the ARCO bag. Well thought out in every part, the streamlined visual of Almera’s design makes the bag look sleek yet recognizable, eccentric and sophisticated, uniquely inspired by fashion, art and architecture. The designer’s communication strategy is consistent with the project, detailed and inclusive. IM and UTY would like to thank all the Alumni who applied and contributed with their ideas. Your enthusiasm and your commitment to the project has been highly valued and appreciated.