There is a lot of anticipation at the Palacultura in Messina, for the fourth edition of the ME FASHION AWARD, the national award given to the big names in Italian fashion, talented designers, personalities of innovation and fashion culture which will be held on Thursday 28 May at 8.00 pm at the Palacultura “Antonello”.
The initiative is sponsored by the Municipality of Messina Unioncamere Sicilia, the Messina Chamber of Commerce, Confartigianato Imprese Messina and Sicindustria. The organization is managed by Patrizia Casale, owner of E-Motion, with the support of the municipal administration and also boasts the patronage of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion. The event will be hosted by Carolina Rey, the next presenter on Rai Uno of Unomattina estate, already at Prima Festival 2026 in Sanremo and by Samuel Peron, for years a columnist on Dancing with the Stars and today on “I fatti tue” on Rai Due.
On stage are icons, talents, promotion of Made in Italy and special awards. The ME Fashion Award 2026 will celebrate the history and contemporaneity of Luisa Spagnoli, a brand that has dressed women in Italy and around the world for generations; the recognition will be given to Nicoletta Spagnoli, CEO and creative director of the brand. The event will then welcome the stylist and holder of the fashion design chair at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera Francesca Liberatore, who has conquered the Italian and international catwalks with a style capable of combining high tailoring, art and responsible fashion, will reward Daniela Fedi, one of the most authoritative names in Italian fashion and journalism, author of books and exhibitions, today critic and editorialist of “Il Giornale” and already collaborator of prestigious sector magazines. There will also be space for the over 60 years of history of Tombolini, men’s fashion brands and Made in Italy excellence, which has been able to project the family sartorial tradition into the future thanks to a contemporary vision of craftsmanship, innovation and sustainability. A special lifetime achievement award will be given to Chiara Boni, a designer who has marked the history of fashion since the 1970s: from 2024 committed to narrating her extraordinary creative legacy, she will present exclusively for the ME Fashion Award a selection of historic dresses that have characterized the history of Italian costume.» The ME Fashion Award 2026 will also reward the success stories born in the province of Messina such as that of Sam Badi, an eco-sustainable fashion brand founded by the Capo d’Orlando designer Marco Vinci now present in Milan, a reality that demonstrates how ideas capable of facing global challenges can arise even from small towns while always maintaining a strong connection with their homeland. The MFW will pay homage to Gianni Versace, fashion genius, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of his birth. The prize will be awarded to Sabina Albano and Fabrizio Sudano, curators of the exhibition “Gianni Versace. Terra Mater. Magna Graecia Roots Tribute”: held with great success at the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria, and proving to be one of the most popular initiatives in the Italian cultural panorama of recent months. Media partner of the event will be Startupitalia present since its first edition with the events media director Chiara Trombetta. In the foreground, an image of the sector’s ecosystem in Sicily and the on-stage presentation of some of the most interesting realities on the island. The presence of schools is inevitable at the ME Fashion Award, this year in particular there will be the Liceo Artistico “E. Basile” which oversaw the creation of the awards for the designers, the IIS “AM Jaci”, the IIS Antonello, the Academy of Fine Arts of Reggio Calabria and the Ambassadors association for foreigners who will participate in some training moments with the designers. Guests of the evening will be Mariangela Bonanno’s Studio Danza and the singer Alessia Di Bella. Until 1pm on May 27th, and until all available places are available, free invitations to participate in the evening can be requested at the Palacultura Antonello desk during opening hours.