Shaping talent through experience: this is the driving force behind Alcantara’s presence in design schools. Students explore not only the material’s creative potential but also the values Alcantara represents: the excellence of Made in Italy, artisanal beauty, and technological innovation.
Where the design of the future is born: Alcantara enters University classrooms
ART, DESIGN AND CREATIVITY
WHERE THE DESIGN OF THE FUTURE IS BORN: ALCANTARA ENTERS UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS
Alcantara strengthens its commitment to nurturing the designers of tomorrow through strategic collaborations with leading Italian and international universities.
Collaboration with Universities
During the 2024/25 academic year, the Company launched a collaboration program with several universities, creating educational projects centered on creativity and interdisciplinarity. These initiatives gave students the chance to work on real briefs, develop prototypes, and experiment with innovative applications of Alcantara in design contexts.
IAAD. – Institute of Applied Art and Design, Turin
For their thesis projects, the students of the Product Design course embarked on a creative journey with Alcantara, exploring its limitless potential and incredible versatility to bring their artistic visions to life. By studying both the aesthetic and technical qualities of the material, they developed concepts that harmonized functionality, craftsmanship, innovation, and design research.
The resulting prototypes range from avant-garde chairs to futuristic clothing and entirely new interior solutions, emerging from experiments with textures, material combinations, and novel uses of Alcantara. This collaboration reinforces Alcantara’s role as a distinctive and creative element in product design, inspiring the next generation of designers.
Davide Negri, Coordinator of the Product Design course at IAAD.:
“Working with Alcantara was extremely stimulating. The goal was to explore applications that highlight the material’s potential, either enhancing its natural qualities or imagining entirely new uses.
Students gained a deep understanding of the material and its expressive possibilities, which served as the foundation for original design solutions.
The result is a collection of projects that, in some cases, outline realistically achievable future scenarios where Alcantara takes center stage as a distinctive element.
I express gratitude the Company for its open and collaborative approach, which allowed us to explore unconventional yet highly inspiring territories.”
Kingston University College – School of Art, London
Alcantara led a workshop for first-year students of the Product and Furniture Design program at Kingston School of Art. The project combined research, experimentation, and creativity across multiple stages.
After an introduction to the material’s characteristics, students developed original concepts for indoor and outdoor furniture and products, entirely made in Alcantara.
The creative process was guided by a continuous dialogue between the material and their imagination, resulting in innovative and multisensory solutions where craftsmanship and innovation converge. This experience offered not only practical learning and professional exposure but also the opportunity to explore new applications of Alcantara through prototyping and mindful design.
Elena Del Signore, Lecturer in Product & Furniture Design (BA):
“This project was an extraordinary opportunity for dialogue between academic creativity and industrial innovation. Students were inspired by the material’s exceptional versatility, both in processes and applications, encouraging an experimental and bold approach to product design.
What stood out most was Alcantara’s ability to combine unique tactile refinement with high technical performance, opening new avenues for creative expression.
Our students envision a future for Alcantara that is increasingly sustainable, environmentally aware, and capable of generating multisensory experiences. The material is perceived not just as a covering, but as an active and narrative element, blending aesthetics, technology, and ethical responsibility.
Alcantara thus becomes a true creative language, adaptable to multiple contexts: from sensory design to smart surfaces, from fashion and interior design integration to global customization. Students imagine increasingly hybrid applications, bridging the physical and digital worlds, and positioning Alcantara at the heart of a dynamic and conscious design future.”
POLI.design, Politecnico di Milano
A surface is not just material, it is a medium capable of conveying emotions and values. With this philosophy, students of the Master in Sensorial Surface Design of POLI.design – the postgraduate education center of Politecnico di Milano – participated in an intensive one-week project in collaboration with Alcantara.
Working in teams, students developed concepts under the theme “New Luxury Scenarios”, designing solutions where the material becomes a tool for sensory and creative communication. Through research on color and texture, they interpreted Alcantara in innovative ways, creating experiences that evoke emotions, tell stories, and highlight the material’s potential as a vehicle for value and expression in contemporary design.
Cristina Boeri, Co-director of the Master in Sensorial Surface Design – Color, Material, and Finish for Interiors and Furniture:
“Collaborating with Alcantara allows us to showcase the full potential of a design process that leverages the aesthetic, sensory, and functional qualities of the material to explore new needs, behaviors, and applications.”
Ingrid Calvo Ivanovic, Project Work Coordinator of the Master in Sensorial Surface Design – Color, Material, and Finish for Interiors and Furniture:
“This collaboration enabled our students to reimagine how high-quality materials can create the life experiences of tomorrow. From resorts to museum spaces, students explored unexpected worlds where Alcantara becomes a language of innovation and emotion.”
A creative dialogue inspiring new talent
In a multidisciplinary context involving institutions such as Milano Fashion Institute, SPD – Scuola Politecnica di Design, IED Torino, and IED Milano, Alcantara gave students the opportunity to explore the material’s potential across multiple design domains.
Participants engaged directly with Alcantara, investigating its expressive qualities and testing its aesthetic and technical performance. This creative dialogue reinforced the link between inspiration and production, confirming Alcantara as an innovative and distinctive design language that inspires new generations and transforms visionary ideas into avant-garde solutions – blending aesthetics, functionality and identity with the values of Made in Italy.
CORPORATE AND SUSTAINABILITY
