THE 2026 AMIGOS: AZ Academy, the educational program established by Compagnie Financière Richemont‘s Milan-based corporate school, Creative Academy, in partnership with Rome’s Accademia Costume & Moda fashion school, has revealed the 19 finalists of its Business for Designers initiative.

They were selected for their “distinctive visions and their potential to influence the future of the fashion industry,” AZ Academy said in a statement, singling out the international bent of the program, which includes talents hailing from South Africa, China, Poland, South Korea, Italy and Australia, among other countries.

The post-graduate educational initiative kicks off in January with yearlong academic courses across management, innovation, sustainability, production, finance, e-commerce, communication and marketing held at Accademia Costume & Moda’s Milan campus.

Finalists were selected by a 26-member jury headlined by, among others, designers Isabel Marant, Serge Ruffieux and Lutz Huelle; Richemont’s chief executive officer Nicolas Bos; Philippe Fortunato, CEO of fashion and accessories maisons at Richemont; Paolo Chiesa, global merchandising director at Balmain; Nicolas Atteshlis, head of brand partnerships at Zalando, as well as artist Maripol.

The roster includes regenerative knitwear designer Silvia Acién Parrilla, a winner of the LVMH Green Trail Award and Recordar founder Carlos Redondo, both from Spain; Central Saint Martins graduate Domenic Bartlett Roylance, whose creations have been sported already by Billie Eilish; Turkish designer Şevval Büyükkapucu; textile artist and fashion designer Chenchen “Chico” Yu, a graduate of the Bunka Fashion Graduate University; Brazilian French designer Leïna de la Valette; Italian menswear designer Francesco Delbarba and jewelry designer Giorgio Olivero; British Fashion Council member Rui Deng, founder of the Chinese brand RuiRui Deng and Leiland Recreate founder Zichun Jiang “Lei”; Saudi Arabian designer Turki Alassaf; South Korean talent Kyungdeok Kim; Matsobane Abiah Mahlase, the winner of South Africa’s leading TV design competition “Win-a-Home”; Polish designer Anna Pitchouguina; Hyères Festival finalist Dennis Sanders from Germany; Swiss designer Livia Schriber; Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts graduate Aiker Shalekenova; Armenian Italian talent Anahit Galatea Yazichyan, as well as ANDAM 2025 accessories prize winner Sarah Lévy of Sarahlevy, enrolled as “Honorary Student.”

At the end of their academic year, designers will be offered a chance to pitch their business proposals to potential investors.

Aimed at supporting independent fashion designers, AZ Academy germinated from the now-shuttered AZ Factory fashion brand.

Initially a vehicle for acclaimed fashion designer Alber Elbaz, the brand evolved into a hub for serial collaborations following his death in April 2021 from COVID-19.