The Link Contest 2026: creativity is alive and unstoppable
Great success for the 2026 edition of The Link contest, the talent scouting project designed to identify and promote the creative sensibilities of young designers enrolled in some of the most renowned European universities and art schools. The response has been strong and of excellent quality, with 133 projects submitted—an increase compared to the 2025 edition. The first phase concluded with the selection of the semi-finalists, curated by an industry jury that identified the most deserving entries based on creative content and relevance to the assigned theme.
The competition now enters its most dynamic stage, focused on the development and realisation of the projects. Each student will be provided with fabrics best aligned with their submitted work, in order to create prototype garments that will allow for an evaluation of the designers’ true technical and pattern-making skills.
The Link is a competition conceived as a celebration of pure creativity, a new vision—as suggested by the contest poster—where timeless forms are expressed through contemporary languages, free from commercial constraints.
These are the semi-finalists:
THE LINK CONTEST – BEACHWEAR SEMI-FINALISTS
MARIA LUCIA BIFULCO – ITALY – ACCADEMIA DELLA MODA IUAD NAPOLI
ANNALISA MATTEINI – ITALY – NEXT FASHION SCHOOL BY CARLA SECOLI
SHARONE OULATO – ITALY – NEXT FASHION SCHOOL BY CARLA SECOLI
ALEJANDRO RODRIGUEZ UNGUREANU – SPAIN – EASD FERNANDO ESTÉVEZ
THE LINK CONTEST – INTIMATES SEMI-FINALISTS
ISIDORA INES BONVALLET RECART – CHILE – LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION
KARINA STEFANIA BURA – ROMANIA – UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN – CLUJ NAPOCA
NORA MIKLOS – HUNGARY – MOD’ART INTERNATIONAL
MATILDE PACINI – ITALY – ACCADEMIA ITALIANA
THE LINK CONTEST – ATHLEISURE SEMI-FINALISTS
ALICE BETTINI – ITALY – ISGMD
DENNIS DE PETRI – ITALY – NEXT FASHION SCHOOL BY CARLA SECOLI
LILI VEH – HUNGARY – MOD’ART INTERNATIONAL
ANNA VICARI – ITALY – ACCADEMIA DELLA MODA IUAD MILANO
