The Coco Song Award was a collaboration between the Harim Accademia Euromediterranea and Coco Song, a competition dedicated to offering young talents the opportunity of giving their own interpretation of the Coco Song Collection.

The official unveiling of the winner of the Coco Song Award took place at Silmo following a selection process whereby prototypes made by the five final finalists that were evaluated on the basis of their degree of uniqueness, wearability and marketability, as well as for their alignment with the brand’s target market and the overall quality of the frames, from design to production.

The “Liè féng in Colours” project by Rossella Leanza has won the first edition of the Coco Song Award. For her project, Leanza – who is in the third year of a four-year Fashion Design degree – drew inspiration from the art of ceramics, which reached stunning level of sophistication during the Song dynasty, becoming one of the most emblematic facets of Chinese culture from the period.

By focusing on the concept of form, which plays an important role in Song ceramics, Leanza devised and produced a pair of glasses that – thanks to the unique finish on the acetate – recreate the fissures that appear when the ceramics are fired. Presented in bold colours, the texture is offset by the two-tone sunglasses lenses, making for a high-impact pair of frames that – despite being highly original – stay true to the Coco Song philosophy and strengths.

Leanza’s delight was matched only by that of Area98, which was enthused by the achievements of the initiative and the new creative ideas put forward by the contestants. The company was also very satisfied with the success the competition has enjoyed both inside and outside the company. “The success of this competition has far surpassed our expectations,” says Coco Song Art Director Elisio Tessaro. “The response from everyone who has contributed, even partially, to the outcome of the competition – students and teachers from Harim, employees, clients, commercial partners and the media – really has been extraordinary. We’re already working to organise the next edition of the initiative.”