FORMA 2026: CONTEMPORARY IDENTITY. CLOTHING, COMMUNITIES, AND A SENSE OF BELONGING

Rome, April 27, 2026

For the second year in a row Accademia Italiana takes part into FORMA, that confirms itself as a shared project that brings together the leading academic institutions of the Capital and the Lazio Region, with the aim of promoting young talent and fostering the creative arts. Born from the collaboration between the Department of Major Events, Sports, Tourism and Fashion of Rome Capital, the Department of Economic Development, Commerce, Craftsmanship, Industry and Internationalization of the Lazio Region, and some of the most prestigious fashion and design academies in the area, the event establishes itself as a national point of reference, serving as a platform for exchange, dialogue, and experimentation among students, teachers, and industry professionals.

The theme of the 2026 edition, “Contemporary Identity: Clothing, Communities, and Belonging,” offers a reflection on the role of fashion as a language of identity and a tool for belonging, with a focus on subcultures as spaces for aggregation, sharing, and self-construction.

Over the course of two days, the La Nuvola Convention Center will be transformed into a dynamic and multidisciplinary laboratory, where students from Rome’s leading fashion schools will engage, design, and present their work, creating an immersive experience that intertwines education, creativity, and innovation.

Through a structured program of activities, FORMA aims to enhance emerging talent and strengthen the dialogue between fashion and contemporary arts, contributing to the cultural and productive development of the sector.

Registrations for the talks are already open. The full program will be announced in the coming days; however, some guests have already been introduced during the press conference, including Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Fendi; Sofia Balestra; Francesca Ragazzi, Head of Editorial Content at Vogue Italia; Ellen Hodakova Larsson, Swedish designer and founder of the brand Hodakova; and Olivier Theyskens, a designer who has led fashion houses such as Rochas, Nina Ricci, and Theory.

Among the main new features of this edition is the expansion of the spaces with the use of the lower floor beneath the Auditorium, which will host the Speaker Corner: an area dedicated to talks, presentations, and performances. On May 8, Niccolò Filippucci, fresh from his victory at Sanremo Giovani, will be present, while on May 9, singer-songwriter and actress Lea Gavino will take part.

The event’s media partners will be Rai Radio 2 and Rai News 24, with RaiNews.it serving as content partner.

FORMA is promoted by the Department of Major Events, Sports, Tourism and Fashion of Rome Capital and the Department of Economic Development of the Lazio Region, with the aim of strengthening Rome’s role as a center of excellence in fashion and design education, fostering synergies between institutions, territories, and new generations of creatives.

The event is part of the “Roma Smart Tourism” project, funded by the Ministry of Tourism as part of the fund allocated to municipalities with cultural, historical, artistic, and landscape vocations that host UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The official presentation took place on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. in the Sala delle Bandiere at the Capitoline Hill, during a press conference attended by Alessandro Onorato, Councillor for Major Events, Sports, Tourism and Fashion of Rome Capital, and Roberta Angelilli, Vice President and Councillor for Economic Development of the Lazio Region, together with the academies involved in the project.

Alessandro Onorato, Councillor for Major Events, Sports, Tourism and Fashion of Rome Capital:

“Rome confirms itself as the Italian capital for training new talents in fashion. After last year’s success, with the participation of over 25,000 students, with ‘FORMA 2026’ we are ready to raise the bar even further and involve more and more students, enthusiasts, and international figures, also opening up to music. We are proud that it has now become standard practice to unite the main academies of Rome and Lazio in a shared project. We want to enhance our young people and our city, which has returned to being a reference point in fashion thanks to long-term work that began in 2021 and a clear strategy. I thank all the speakers of the talks who have agreed to engage, discuss, and meet our young people, who will have the opportunity to showcase their creations. With this event, we want to help them emerge and encourage them to believe in their dreams: those who study and work hard must have a future here, without being forced to change city or country. I thank the Lazio Region which, as last year, has agreed to share a project that will benefit everyone. Rome must be a city of opportunities, a city for young people, who are not the future but the present.”

Roberta Angelilli, Councillor for Economic Development, Commerce, Craftsmanship, Industry and Internationalization of the Lazio Region:

“Fashion is a cornerstone of Lazio’s artistic craftsmanship, which has produced outstanding international personalities while driving extraordinary innovation, unique in the world. Fashion is the quintessential expression of Made in Italy, and FORMA is a prestigious showcase of creativity and talent—the cornerstones of the fashion supply chain. As of December 31, 2025, companies linked to the fashion system number nearly 20,000 in Lazio, over 14,000 of which are in Rome, with exports exceeding 1 billion euros. For the first time, the regional craftsmanship plan has allocated 1.2 million euros to fashion in grants and credit support. In addition, a business creation laboratory dedicated to young talents has been launched, along with economic diplomacy initiatives and matchmaking with European and international textile industry operators, expanding the opportunities of the internationalization plan that enables participation in prestigious global events. FORMA is one of the special projects within a strategy aimed at consolidating key and excellent sectors in the Capital and throughout Lazio”, stated Vice President and Councillor for Economic Development of the Lazio Region, Roberta Angelilli.

To participate