Valeria Benedetti

Founder and Director of Mental-Knit, a consulting office specializing in the design and development of knitwear, cut&sew, seamless, and accessories collections for fashion brands. Key activities: • Design and development of complete collections, from concept to realization. • Research and selection of yarns, fabrics, knit stitches, cut&sew and innovative materials. • Creation of mood boards, definition of color palettes, and development of treatments, prints, embroidery, and special effects. Collection design • Development of knit stitches and prototypes using Stoll, Shima, Steiger, and Santoni machines. • Creation and development of prototypes directly on models, with panel assembly and unique shape construction in a couture approach. • Coordination with international suppliers (Italy, China, Romania, Turkey, Portugal, India) for prototype development, samples, and sms • Supervision of fittings and technical details to ensure quality and adherence to the original design. • Market analysis and collaboration with sales teams to structure balanced and targeted collections. • Presentation of collections to commercial teams and support for product launches. Some of my fantastic collaborations: Mary Katrantzou, Calvin Klein Collections, Wolford, Golden Goose, Antonio Marras, High, Forte_Forte, Laneus, Roberto Collina

• Responsible for knitwear, cut&sew, seamless, and accessories collections for the brands High Everyday Couture (Marithé Francois Girbaud) and I’m Isola Marras- men, women. • Research and development of trends, materials, and knit stitches, focusing on creating innovative volumes and contemporary shapes. • Selection of yarns and fabrics, development of color palettes, and creation of mood boards in line with the collection concept. • Design and development of garments, balancing aesthetic and functional aspects with particular attention to tailoring details. • Direct collaboration with the Art Director to translate the creative vision into consistent and high-level collections. • Supervision of the prototyping phase, from sample creation to production. • Coordination with international suppliers (Italy, China, Romania, Turkey, Portugal, India) for the development of prototypes and samples, ensuring quality and fidelity to the initial design. • Participation in fittings with a focus on technical details, construction, and fit of the garments. • Management of the style and product team, coordinating the various departments and ensuring the implementation of stylistic visions in every stage of the product process.

• Responsible for knitwear collections for men, women, and kids, focusing on design and product development. • Research of trends and materials, yarn selection, and development of innovative knit stitches to meet market demands. • Development and creation of prototypes with a focus on technical and design quality. • Frequent travel to suppliers in China and Tunisia to ensure quality standards, coordinate development phases, and conduct research on new techniques and materials. • Management of fittings with attention to technical details and fit, ensuring consistency with the collection concept.

• Research of yarns, prints, embroidery, and innovative treatments to enrich the knitwear and cut&sew collections for Jean Paul Gaultier, Hugo Boss, Baldessarini, and Fuzzi Donna. • Development and creation of innovative knit stitches to interpret the creative visions of the brands. • Stylistic research and reworking of textile mood boards to translate creativity and technique into knitwear. • Management of technical processes and follow-up of prototype development phases. • Coordination of the down-up process for industrialization and sample production.

In Charge of D&G Knitwear designer department for man and woman