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How Raffles Jakarta Grads Win Global Awards

International design awards appear, at first glance, to be a fortuitous convergence of skill and opportunity. They are not present. They are organized contests with established regulations, clear evaluation standards, strict timelines, and a selection process that eliminates the majority of submissions prior to any garment being displayed.

Securing one is, in part, an art form, and it can be articulated. The subsequent explanation details the operational mechanics of the process, exemplified by the competition that Raffles Jakarta students have consistently achieved: Mittelmoda, located in Milan.


How do Raffles Jakarta grads win global awards?

Raffles Jakarta graduates win global awards by treating them as professional briefs rather than as lotteries. International competitions publish precise criteria, and Mittelmoda judges portfolios on creativity, technical quality and accuracy of execution, international outlook, and understanding of and consistency with the brief.

Students who win tend to satisfy all four rather than excelling at one. They submit a complete portfolio with concept, visuals, and fabric samples; they meet an immovable deadline, and if selected, they must then physically produce the collection and present it in Milan.

The school's contribution is structural: practitioner faculty who apply industry standards, a studio culture built on repeated critique, portfolios accumulated continuously rather than assembled late, and membership of an international network that makes entering feel normal rather than presumptuous.


What a global award actually is

Precision is beneficial in this context; thus, contemplate the relevant competition. Mittelmoda, formally known as the International Lab of Mittelmoda, was founded in Italy in 1993 and was the inaugural global competition aimed at fashion students.

Throughout its iterations, it has hosted over 15,000 emerging designers from more than 60 nations, chosen over 700 finalists, and distributed an annual prize fund surpassing EUR 25,000, with over 600 fashion design institutions consistently participating (Linificio, 2025). The 2025 edition presented 14 awards and a maximum of EUR 35,000 (Mittelmoda, 2025a).

The dimensions of the funnel are significant. The 31st iteration attracted more than 540 submissions from 17 nations and 15 design schools, resulting in the selection of 26 finalists (Mittelmoda, 2025b).

A prior edition featured 608 students registered, culminating in 28 collections presented on the runway, with finalists hailing from 21 global fashion design institutions (Mittelmoda, 2021). Approximately one out of every twenty entries arrives at the runway.

The competition is presided over by Matteo Marzotto, accompanied by a panel of fashion design specialists, industry stakeholders, and media personalities (Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, 2022).

The concluding event occurs in Milan, coinciding with the commencement of Fashion Week and held at prominent trade fairs, thus serving as an authentic gateway to the European industry rather than merely a credential (GO!2025, 2026).

It is important for any student perusing this program to acknowledge that admission is complimentary, with no associated registration costs. The obstacle is not financial resources. It constitutes the task.

The four criteria, decoded

This area is the section that the majority of individuals seldom investigate. The competition guidelines explicitly delineate the criteria evaluated by the jury: innovation, technical proficiency, execution precision, global perspective, and comprehension of, adherence to, and consistency with the brief (Mittelmoda, 2026a; Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, 2022). Each of these constitutes a distinct discipline, typically cultivated by various segments of education.

Creativity is the one everybody prepares for. It is also the one where a strong idea alone rarely wins, because at the finalist level almost every entry has one.

Technical quality and accuracy of execution are where a large share of entries fall away. People who manufacture clothing professionally judge construction, pattern cutting, finishing, and material handling. Mittelmoda has run specific awards for pattern making, assigned by juries including pattern-making managers from major houses (Fashion United, 2021).

An idea that cannot be executed cleanly fails in that room.

An international outlook means the work has to make sense outside the country it was made in. A collection legible only through local reference points reads as parochial to a jury drawn from many markets.

Most entrants underestimate understanding and consistency with the brief, which are probably the most decisive criteria. Competitions issue briefings, and the jury explicitly assesses whether the submission understood and complied with them.

A beautiful collection answering a question nobody asked loses to a competent one that answered the actual question. This ability is precisely the skill a client brief develops, and it is why studio education built on live briefs transfers directly.


The submission is a portfolio, not a garment

The initial phase is not a takeoff strip. It constitutes a written record. The directives are clear: outline the collection and assemble a portfolio for evaluation, incorporating fabric samples, concepts, and visuals (Mittelmoda, n.d.a). A technical panel evaluates the submitted portfolios and determines which collections advance (Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, 2021).

This process yields three conclusions. The caliber of presentation is not mere embellishment; it serves as the medium for the initial phase.

Material selections should be demonstrated tangibly instead of merely articulated; thus, fabric procurement is incorporated into the submission rather than being a subsequent phase. The idea must be articulated with sufficient clarity to withstand scrutiny from a jury reviewing numerous entries.

A student who has dedicated time to developing portfolio works to professional standards, obtaining feedback on both presentation and product, reaches this phase with the format already known.

The second stage is production, and it is unforgiving

Finalists encounter a more challenging criterion than the majority anticipates. They are required to finalize the production of their collections by the date of the concluding event and, barring instances of force majeure, must be physically present in Milan.

That revolutionizes the rivalry. It has transitioned from a design endeavor to a production initiative with a set deadline on a different continent. Sourcing, sampling, fitting, rectifying, and finalizing must all occur according to the timeline.

Learners who have operated under actual deadlines with professional oversight manage these tasks significantly more effectively than those whose experience is limited to coursework with flexible extensions.

What the school actually contributes

Set against that process, the useful features of education become clear.

Faculty who are practicing professionals. Teaching at Raffles Jakarta is delivered by an international academic team holding international certifications and carrying substantial industry experience. They apply the same standards a Milan jury applies, which means the correction happens months before submission rather than in the results announcement.

A studio built on critique. Repeated cycles of making, presenting, being challenged, and remaking are the mechanism by which technical accuracy improves. In design education this critique is recognized as a signature pedagogy, the characteristic way a profession forms its members (Shulman, 2005).

Portfolios accumulated continuously. Because programs are project-based with work presented at exhibitions and student showcases, students have material and presentation practice ready rather than starting from nothing when a deadline appears.

An international frame. The campus belongs to a network of 16 colleges and universities across nine countries, with cross-campus exchanges, workshops, and competitions. The international outlook criterion is easier to satisfy for students who have been working alongside people from other markets, and entering a Milan competition feels more accessible than remote.

Four intakes a year. The accelerated structure runs entries in January, April, July, and October, which means a student's timeline can be aligned with competition calendars rather than colliding with them.


The record

The results are verifiable. Angelique Keizia secured the Mittelmoda Fashion Award in Milan (Mittelmoda, n.d.c). Christabell Bellini emerged as the sole finalist from Southeast Asia at the 2025 edition, showcasing her work at Mittelmoda in Milan.

Geralda Almira Pribadi secured the Harper's Bazaar Asia NewGen Fashion Award and advanced to the Mittelmoda finals. The trend recurs within the nation. Carolin Valentina triumphed at Jakarta Fashion Week 2025, while Caroline Devina secured the position of first runner-up at Lomba Perancang Mode 2023 during the same event.

Tadeus Gerald Susanto gained global acclaim for his artworks showcased in international competitions during his pursuit of a degree in multimedia design.

A number of these were received while the individual remained enrolled, which is feasible only when competition participation is regarded as an integral component of the program rather than an additional activity.


The entries that do not win

Any honest account of competitions has to address the far more common outcome, because roughly nineteen entries in twenty do not reach the runway. Even if they don't win, effort is valuable, and treating it otherwise is the main reason students stop entering.

A submission forces a collection to be resolved to a standard and a deadline that coursework alone usually lacks. The portfolio produced does not evaporate when the results are announced; it becomes the strongest section of a graduate portfolio, already built to international presentation standards. The fabric research, the concept writing, and the production planning all remain.

There is also the matter of calibration. A student who has submitted against an international field learns where their work actually sits, which is information no internal grade provides. That is uncomfortable and extremely useful, and it tends to raise the standard of everything afterwards.

Finally, entering repeatedly is how most eventual winners get there. Competitions run annually.

A student who enters in one year with a resolved but unselected collection is in a materially stronger position the following year, having learned the format, the criteria, and the level.

Why this matters beyond the trophy

An accolade is not chiefly an ornament. It is a portable credential.

Finalists showcase their collections to a global panel of fashion experts, industry journalists, and corporations at an event specifically tailored to connect burgeoning designers with the fashion ecosystem (GO!2025, 2026).

The reward is entry. Such access possesses economic significance in an expanding market. In 2025, Indonesia's creative economy engaged 27.4 million individuals, accounting for approximately 18.7 percent of the national labor force (Badan Pusat Statistik, 2025), and contributed Rp1,611.2 trillion to the gross domestic product in 2024, with fashion and crafts dominating export achievements (Antara, 2025; Kemenekraf, 2025).

A designer possessing an international accolade has proof that transcends national boundaries, which holds significantly greater value than a mere grade.

How a student actually starts

The truthful account lacks allure. Examine the guidelines instead of presuming the desires of the competition. Observe the deadline, which for the 2026 Mittelmoda edition is set for the conclusion of June (Mittelmoda, n.d.a).

Construct the portfolio according to the specifications, incorporating tangible fabric samples. Address the brief that has been provided, rather than the one you would prefer to have received. Obtain feedback on your work from someone who will identify its flaws while there is still an opportunity for revision.

Subsequently, schedule production in reverse from the ultimate event date, as being chosen marks the commencement of the challenging phase. None of that necessitates extraordinary fortune. It requires the benchmarks, critiques, and punctuality provided by the studio program on Jalan M.H. Thamrin, along with a proactive student ready to engage with the project. It seldom appears prepared.


Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Mittelmoda Fashion Award? Mittelmoda, formally the International Lab of Mittelmoda, is an international fashion competition founded in Italy in 1993 for fashion designers and fashion design students from art and design colleges worldwide. It has welcomed more than 15,000 young designers from over 60 countries, and winners present a capsule collection on its catwalk in Milan. Entry is free with no registration fees.

How are entries judged? The jury assesses portfolios on four published criteria: creativity, technical quality and accuracy of execution, international outlook, and understanding of and consistency with the brief. Winning entries generally satisfy all four rather than excelling in one, and compliance with the brief is the criterion entrants most often underestimate.

How competitive is it? Highly. The 31st edition attracted over 540 entries from 17 countries and 15 design institutes, and the selection process produced 26 finalists.

An earlier edition drew 608 enrolled students, with 28 collections shown. Roughly one entry in twenty reaches the final runway.

What happens if you are selected as a finalist? Selection is the start of the demanding stage. Finalists must complete production of their collections by the date of the final event and, except in cases of force majeure, must be physically present in Milan. The competition becomes a production project with a fixed delivery date rather than only a design exercise.

Which Raffles Jakarta students have won international awards? Angelique Keizia won the Mittelmoda Fashion Award in Milan, Christabell Bellini was Southeast Asia's only finalist at the 2025 edition, and Geralda Almira Pribadi won the Harper's Bazaar Asia NewGen Fashion Award and reached the Mittelmoda finals. Others have won Jakarta Fashion Week 2025 and placed at Lomba Perancang Mode 2023.

How does studying at Raffles Jakarta help students win awards? Students win awards through professional faculty who apply industry standards, a studio culture of repeated critique that improves technical accuracy, portfolios built continuously across projects, and membership in an international network of 16 colleges across nine countries that normalizes entering competitions abroad.



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References

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