The Mumbai campus of renowned Italian School of Fashion & Design Istituto Marangoni is excited to unveil a unique partnership with the 'With Love Halston Foundation' through a transformative scholarship program aimed at nurturing emerging design talent for the Global Markets while educating them on the brilliance behind Halston’s designs. Handmade tailoring and embroidery company The Rilievi Group has also partnered with the school to support students' collections. This initiative by Istituto Marangoni Mumbai aims to cultivate and support the next generation of creative talent in the fashion industry while uplifting Halston’s legacy.

Students will engage in mentorship sessions, workshops, and presentations    conducted by With Love Halston’s distinguished team members, including Lesley Frowick, Steve Gold, Scott Vogel, and Audrey Schilt. They will draw inspiration from Halston’s iconic designs and legacy, integrating local fashion influences to create innovative garments through sustainable practices. To launch each new challenge, Team WLH offers an inspirational Halston presentation. Lesley Frowick, Halston’s niece and the Cofounder/ Director of The Halston Personal Archives, speaks on Halston the man, his early influences, famous silhouettes, and innovations. Creative Director Audrey Schilt shares memories of her early years illustrating for Halston at Bergdorf Goodman and Halston’s design genius.

In addition to these presentations, Managing Director Steve Gold and CFO/Director Scott Vogel will speak on Halston’s marketing/business acumen. Students are then mentored by the team throughout the process. 

One of the many highlights of this collaboration is the ability to work with fashion students worldwide as they gather inspiration from the larger fashion environment. Students at Istituto Marangoni Mumbai have worked tirelessly with creative techniques such as sun prints and repurposed cotton tie-dyes, inspired by their vibrant culture of textile design.

A panel of esteemed judges, including industry professionals renowned for their expertise in the Halston design aesthetic, will evaluate each finalist based on design originality, marketability, sustainability, Halston esthetic, and personal/editorial presentations.
The Challenge culminates in a live fashion show where seven finalists showcase their creations. Lesley Frowick and Audrey Schilt will be at the final fashion show and award ceremony. The winner of the With Love Halston Challenge will receive a monetary prize, made possible through a generous donation from The Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation, along with a prestigious Elsa Peretti Tiffany heart box. Finalists also walk away with potential opportunities for internships, publication of illustrations in Fida worldwide, and exhibition of their designs at a Halston retrospective exhibit.

This latest collaboration with Istituto Marangoni Mumbai provides Fashion Design students a unique opportunity to delve into the legacy of Halston, renowned for his sleek, minimalist designs crafted from cashmere or Ultrasuede, epitomizing a relaxed urban aesthetic for American women.

Istituto Marangoni was chosen by the Halston Foundation due to its global eminence in fashion, design, and art education. With over eight decades of nurturing Italian fashion and contributing to the rise of ready-to-wear, the institution has groomed countless talents, aligning with the evolution of Italian fashion on the world stage. Expanding internationally, with campuses in Firenze, Paris, London, Miami, Dubai, Mumbai, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, Istituto Marangoni harmonizes entrepreneurial vigor with academic excellence, fostering a vibrant community of students and professionals.

With Love Halston

Roy Halston Frowick, known simply as Halston, was an American fashion designer who started his careeras an illustrator and window display artist in Chicago. In the early 1950s, Halston launched his millinerybusiness and soon garnered a well-known clientele. With instant success, he opened his first hat boutique on Chicago's Magnificent Mile in the late 1950s. Soon after arriving in New York in 1958, he was recruited to the prestigious position of head milliner for high-end department store Bergdorf Goodman. His fame rose in 1961 when he designed the pillbox hat Jacqueline Kennedy wore to the inauguration of her husband, President John F. Kennedy. Halston soon made the transition to women's clothing at Bergdorf where he designed many gowns and masks for the famed Black and White Ball. In 1968, he opened his own haute couture atelier on Madison Avenue where he launched a ready-to-wear line featured in his boutique. He acquired international fame in the 1970s with his minimalist, clean designs, often made of cashmere, ultrasuede and silk chiffons that were a new phenomenon in the high society circles.

Essentially, Halston redefined American fashion. Halston personally appointed his niece Lesley Frowick as guardian of his archives. Her mission is to disseminate the Halston legacy on the highest level. Now she partners with fashion industry experts Steve Gold, Audrey Schilt and Scott Vogel to launch the scholarship initiative, With Love Halston. Together, they honor and uplift Halston: the man and genius who pinned American fashion on the map.

Istituto Marangoni

Istituto Marangoni was founded in 1935 in Milan as 'Istituto Artistico dell’Abbigliamento Marangoni’, and has been a top educational choice for creatives in the worlds of fashion, art and design for over 85 years now. With four generations of students from 5 continents, and rooted in renowned Italian fashion heritage, it was the springboard for over 45,000 luxury professionals, including Domenico Dolce, Alessandro Sartori, Paula Cademartori, Gilda Ambrosio, Julie de Libran and Nicola Brognano. Istituto Marangoni currently welcomes about 4,700 students from 107 different countries every year in its schools in the world capitals of fashion, art and design, including Milano (School of Fashion and School of Design), Firenze (School of Fashion & Art), Paris, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Miami and Dubai.

The Rilievi Group

Founded in 1991 in Bologna, Italy, The Rilievi Group is a handmade tailoring and embroidery company for the haute couture industry. Headquartered in Bologne, Italy, and Mumbai, it also has a showroom in Soho, New York City and it was one of the first Italian luxury companies to earn an SA8000:2014 certification, the release added.