From JANUARY 9 EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY we will be introducing 1 of the 10 DESIGN contest finalists (in no specific order).
The top 3 FINALISTS will be revealed during Milan Fashion Week at 10 CORSO COMO at the end of February.

1. Name/ Age – ADRIANA IURASCU, 37
2. What do you do? – Footwear Designer
3. Where do you come from, and where are you currently living? – Born in Romania, living in London for the last 10 years.
4. How did you hear about the competition? – During production for my Masters degree final collection at London College of Fashion.
5. What does your design mean to you? – It is a story of dark seduction. Enchanted, the naughty Calaveras carry you off into the night.
6. What was the i-Dea behind it? – I was inspired by the mexican day of the dead. A celebration where life and death face each other, and the Calaveras as sardonic images of life. I can relate to this kind of humour…I come from a family who laughs at funerals.
7. How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? – Bold, fearless, irresistible.
8. Who would you most like to wear your design? – Beyonce

1. Name/ Age – BENJAMIN NUSBAUM 22
2. What do you do? – I’m graphic designer.
3. Where do you come from, and where are you currently living? – I come from Annecy (France) and I live in Dijon (France).
4. How did you hear about the competition? – I heard about the contest on COLETTE (blog).
5. What does your design mean to you? – My design is an impact of a dirty drop of paint and an elegant shoe.
The hell is formed by the drop of paint, that is why I spell it “Dripping”.
6. What was the i-Dea behind it? – I wanted to design a shoe following my heart : a street side and an elegant side.
The heel is the street/urban side , not conventional, surprising, colored…and the shoe is the elegant side, sober, class. To me is a great association, a chic and a street shoe, that’s work!
7. How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? – I think my design express the Alberto Guardiani style by the elegant taste and the artisanal effect with the drop of paint. My design is sexy, sassy and represents women
seen by Alberto Guardiani, a women with many different facets. I hope my design create a new blood…
8. Who would you most like to wear your design? – Every women who loves and can identify with my design!

1. Name/ Age – GILDA 24 years old
2. What do you do? – I am an independent fashion and textile designer.
3. Where do you come from, and where are you currently living? – I am from Rimini where I actually live.
4. How did you hear about the competition? – I found you on a Fashion magazine
5. What does your design mean to you? – To me,every woman has the right to stay on her own Pedestal.
This design emotionally mean to me the mirror of the transposition of a woman’s body after her mindstate ascension.
6. What was the i-Dea behind it? – I have analized some different, precious and unforgettable situations in a woman’s life, the first kiss on tiptoe , the seconds felt like hours when she wait alone in the center of a city square, waiting for her man that was…on time; when she that put her on the way for the charmest noir movie, like starring on it. In every of the above situations, there is the same illusion of feeling like being on a Pedestal; inspiration comes from the Provence’s castles and from he most famous crystalshoe,than, metallic echoes on sweet white.
7. How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? – If we take the meaning of an object and we transfer it on another object we got a merged object with double the meaning. I always have a great care for details in my work and most of the time I use them to help my design flow harmonically with the space around it. This is the way I want to express the A.G style and that’s why I created a precious object to wear right now.
8. Who would you most like to wear your design? If I’m looking for a celebrity i will ask for Kristen McMenamy but “Pedestal” shoes are for the woman who feel a princess in the inside, sweet or warrior, no matter.

My name is GLENDA, I am 20 years old and study fashion design at the NABA New Academy of Fine Arts in Milan for two years. I was born in Sicily, specifically in Syracuse. I currently live in Milan. I learned of this contest by Luca Belotti, Contests and Special Projects Director of Fashion Design NABA. The project for me was a challenge, because’ being the second year of fashion design, I had never ventured to draw a shoe seriously, almost always for fun and not thinking about the characteristics that a woman’s shoe and the heel should have. That’s why I tried to create a basic model, with a plateau that reflected the classic woman in one of its many sides and bottom reflects the style Guardianis: comfort, attention to detail, style and special features. 
 Sweetness, delicacy reflects every woman, and despite a lot to the line and take care of the body often allows small sins of gluttony. So my shoe is for all women, ’cause each of us always has a sweet side. And above all each of us is greedy! 
 The other shoe and ‘inspired by the coral, majestic, strong and beautiful in all shades of color. Weatherproof seas as every woman reacts to every event of their lives standing up forever and never give up. This, too, like the other shoe is for all women of all ages. Because every woman the strength to react and cope with life never goes out.

1. Name/ Age – LADY SAN PEDRO
2. What do you do? – I am an advertising creative.
3. Where do you come from, and where are you currently living? -I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines but will be moving to Barcelona in January 2012.
4. How did you hear about the competition? – I came across Cinder Thriller on i-donline.com
5. What does your design mean to you? – Everything! There’s a lot of design potential coming from my country. It would be great for more of it to be showcased to the world.
6. What was the i-Dea behind it? – The idea behind The Farfalla Shoe: spontaneity or being able to “wing it” can only come from a woman of intelligence and experience.
7. How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? – It pairs strength with femininity and steps out of the conventional.
8. Who would you most like to wear your design? – For her talent, achievement, as well as her strong yet subtle style: Cate Blanchett.

1. Name/ Age – ELIJAH BLAINE KINNE and i am 20 years old
2. What do you do? – I am a student at the University of Northampton studying Fashion design and Footwear
3. Where do you come from, and where are you currently living? – I am from the United states ( Virginia, Florida, North carolina) then i moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. And then to London. And now i am in Northampton for my Uni years.
4. How did you hear about the competition? – My Teacher told me about it but i had heard of it through your online page.
5. What does your design mean to you? – Everything. it means everything. if i couldn’t design i wouldn’t live. I love expression.
6. What was the i-Dea behind it? – All of my i-Dea’s for my designs start with a Shape or Silhouette that i think will flatter the wearers body. we all know that sometimes shoes can look great on the shelf but terrible on the foot. I then experiment with ideas such as colour and texture. I then like to think about what no one else would do with a shoe and try and make it work for me. the last thing i do is constantly change them… i don’t like to think they are finished because it helps me to refine them all the time.
7. How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? – I hope that my style reflects the same things that i see in Mr. Guardiani’s shoes: Femininity, Style, Individuality, Innovation, And Passion. I hope that My designs show this and convey the love i have for footwear.
8. Who would you most like to wear your design? – I think it would be amazing to see my designs on someone famous. however i would find greater joy in seeing women and men enjoy my shoes for themselves and loving them like a child. ( i know thats how i act when i get a new pair.

1. Name/ Age – My name is AZADEH ZANDI and I am 22 years old.
2. What do you do? – I currently study fashion design and will graduate January 2012. During my spare time I work freelance, creating custom designs for my clients.
3. Where do you come from, and where are you currently living? – I was born and raised in Iran, but for the past 7 years I have resided in Dubai, where I currently live, study and work.
4. How did you hear about the competition? – Since I am a fan of i-D Magazine’s Facebook page, I saw competition when it was posted online, I wanted to try something new and it seemed the right opportunity for me to explore a different avenue of fashion. Now that I am among the Top 10, I am so thrilled that the hard work has paid off and most importantly that my design has captured the attention of important people in the industry.
5. What does your design mean to you? – One important aspect before I started my design is that I wanted to keep the form of the classic shoe. I strongly believe that a shoe adds a to the shape and appearance of any women. The shoe represents my style, especially the classic and traditional look, but I insist on adding a creative and unique touch to all my designs. My aim with this shoe is to appeal to women who would like to wear unique pieces, but stay elegant, chic, and special.
6. What was the i-Dea behind it? – I wanted to use an object that women relate to or use as an accessory. The idea behind the safety pin is to give women a sense of security, as the heel is one of the most important aspect of every high heel shoe. This additional security provides woman with confidence. Lastly, I strongly believe that this shoe can make any look appear more stylish.
7. How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? – As I look at the shoe that I designed and the shoes Alberto Guardiani designs, I see a few similarities in the form and shape It has always been important to me that when people see my designs they know it is my work. Just like Alberto Guardiani’s lipstick-shoe, I like creating something that is not ordinary. Good things take time and I worked very hard, that my design is not only practical, but also meaningful and bring out the women in everyone. I believe that shoe is one of the most important pieces of a women’s outfit, I wanted to design a shoe, which is practical, but at the same time unique and something that people will remember just like, Alberto Guadiani’s lipstick-shoe. Women can wear this shoe with a pair of nice jeans to a cocktail dress, this shoe will give any outfit extra charm.
8. Who would you most like to wear your design? – My target market for this shoe and in general are fashionable women who want to look and feel unique, without compromising their character or femininity. Though the appeal of the shoe can range from a stylish housewife to a high-class celebrity.

1. Name/ Age – IGOR DEWE  21 years old
2. What do you do? – I am an apprentice welder…
3. Where do you come from, and where are you currently living? – I come from the Paris suburbs, but I also lived in Spain a little because my mother is Spanish in origin from Galicia… but now i live in Paris since 5 years…
4. How did you hear about the competition? – Is a friend who had sent the link on my mail that evening when the competition ended so I hurried to send some pictures of the shoes that I tinker…
5. What does your design mean to you? – In my design I like the idea of mixing genders … because I love wearing high heels but I am a man, and very feminine heels do not suit me, so I like to “masculaniser” my shoes by making them more geometric or more stronger… but I also make shoes with what I found everywhere, and having make shoes based with sand or real fruit even if they are ephemeral, it proves that we can create shoes with any material and I find it very interesting …
6. What was the i-Dea behind it? – It depends on which shoes I sent you … because every idea has a different idea … but all my ideas come to me usually in the transport or travels, where I draw in my notebook all my concepts, and the best I give myself the courage to realize them, if not I consider it as a failure on the inside of me…
7. How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? – Because maybe my design can be part of his humor, even if his looks more luxurious… but I don’t think to be far from his burlesque side…
8. Who would you most like to wear your design? – I have several female idols since I was little and of course i would have loved that one of my shoes is owned by Carmen Miranda in her magnificent collection, but also the great icon Cicciolina, and the fabulous Fran Fine (The Nanny), and a french movie personage Dame Ginette.

1. Name/ Age – ANA CVEJIC, double Scorpio, 1980.
2. What do you do? – Art Director in New Moment New Ideas Company Young & Rubicam, Belgrade.
3. Where do you come from, and where are you currently living? – Hometown / Current city, Belgrade, Serbia.
4. How did you hear about the competition? – www.vogue.it/…
5. What does your design mean to you? – Design, especially fashion, is my oxygen in the daily life. It is the passion that push me forward and provides the opportunity to express myself without bounders.
6. What was the i-Dea behind it? – I had an i-Dea to illustrate how far female passion for shoes goes. In some, way every woman is a little voluntary prisoner of fashion!
“Fashion prisoner” shoes tell this story in a charming and humorous way which engages and seduces viewers.
7. How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? – It is artistic, highly stylish but functional and wearable, just like A.Guardiani style.
8. Who would you most like to wear your design? – If you can run, create, dream, cook and flirt while wearing these shoes, then you are THE right person for them… it must be love at first sight!

1. Name/ Age - ALEX NOBLE / 30
2. What do you do? – Fashion designer and Visual Artist
3. Where do you come from, and where are you currently living? London London!
4. How did you hear about the competition? I was Invited to create a design by I.D whilst taking part in a showcase connected to the ‘Covers’ Exhibition.
5. What does your design mean to you? Its a surreal punk exploration, a nod back and a catapult forward.
6. What was the i-Dea behind it? The idea was to capture the mood of the era that I became so inspired by I.D, their beginnings and the creation of ‘straight up’ style of fashion photography.
7. How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? I think this design lives outside the box, it’s powerful, sexual and non conformist style as is Guardiani.
8. Who would you most like to wear your design? Angelica Houston

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