LVMH has announced the winners of the third edition of the Premio Maestri d’Eccellenza, organized with Confartigianato Imprese, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, and the Maison Thélios.
The award ceremony, hosted in Milan, showcased the works of the nine finalists: Pietro Barbini (AAV Barbini srl), Selvaggia Domitilla Biondi (Paper Poetry), Patrizia Fabri (Antica Manifattura Cappelli srl), Bianca Sannolo (Bianca Hodselle), Marta Benet Morera, Youlin Li, Barbara Ricchi (Giorgio Linea srl), Elham M. Aghili, and Lucia Massei.
Among them, the jury selected the four leading figures of the 2025 edition:
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Selvaggia Domitilla Biondi – Maestro Artigiano d’Eccellenza
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Marta Benet – Maestro Emergente Artigiano d’Eccellenza
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Lucia Massei – Maestro dell’Innovazione d’Eccellenza
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Elham Aghili – Special mention
We met the winners to hear their words and discover the stories, passions, and visions that inspire their work.
Maestro Artigiano d’Eccellenza – Selvaggia Domitilla Biondi
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Paper Poetry – Rome
What does this recognition mean to you?
«I create images full of harmony starting from the state of frequencies my body vibrates with: I meditate, raise my frequencies, and hold a scalpel to bring that magical vibration of harmony onto paper.»
How did you develop your technique?
«I approached this technique because sound has always marked important passages in my life. From graphic design I moved to study sound therapy, and from there I found a way to bring harmony into a visual form, sculpting frequencies on paper with the scalpels I inherited from my father, who was a surgeon. I began with white-on-white, and then introduced Rumi’s poetry and my great-grandmother’s embroidery.»
How do you imagine the future of your work?
«Contemporary times are enriched by technological possibilities, but I believe a counter-wave of spiritual research will emerge. This technique is a participatory meditation, a return to listening and creating with the hands: what truly defines us as human beings.»
Maestro Emergente Artigiano d’Eccellenza – Marta Benet
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Ceramics and textiles – Asola (MN)
Can you tell us about your journey?
«I’m Marta Benet and I’m in Asola, in the province of Mantua. I create handcrafted objects by combining textile and ceramic techniques, using natural materials such as clay, linen, cotton, or silk. I make pieces ranging from tableware to works of art or sculpture.»
What role does tradition play in your craft?
«For me, the relationship with tradition is fundamental. Even though I create contemporary objects, the foundation is always traditional craftsmanship. I believe I have taken traditional techniques and distilled them down to their essence, making them more appealing to contemporary eyes, especially younger generations.»
What does it mean to you to work as a craftswoman today?
«Happiness. When I work, I feel happiness. Passion is doing something that comes from within, that you don’t overthink, and that drives you to improve. It’s a complex job, but people are very interested in artisanal techniques and are often surprised that I can make a living from this work.»
Maestro dell’Innovazione d’Eccellenza – Lucia Massei
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Jewelry – Florence
How did your passion begin?
«This workshop is my soul’s place. I create unique jewelry pieces for international exhibitions. It began as an absolute passion: if I could, I would do nothing else. It’s a craft that isn’t really a craft—it’s a love.»
What does innovation mean to you?
«The past and the future are connected; one cannot exist without the other. Innovation means using the experiences of past artisans and artists along with your own skills. You can use a technique that didn’t exist 50 years ago and combine it with techniques from 5,000 years ago: that is when innovation happens.»
What keeps you going?
«It’s difficult to describe passion: it’s a mental, physical, and spiritual state. Creating jewelry means bringing to life things that didn’t exist before—very personal works that rest on the body and become charged with symbolic meaning.»
Special mention – Elham Aghili
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Fiber art – Parma
How would you describe your work?
«I create dreamlike gardens from textile scraps. I make installations and wearable sculptures using warehouse errors or production leftovers, transforming them into textile gardens. Thread is a versatile material: linear and three-dimensional at the same time, capable of becoming a root, a rope, a fabric.»
Where does your inspiration come from?
«I am Italian of Iranian origin and grew up among Persian carpets, the oldest figurative representations of gardens. That’s where I believe my inspiration was born. I played with those carpets, observed them, colored them: to me, they were already gardens waiting to be transformed.»
What is your vision for the future?
«I believe there are no limits to the dialogue between new technologies and craftsmanship: they can strengthen each other. I myself took inspiration from watching a 3D printer. But the true driving force remains wonder: seeing people enchanted before a handmade work makes me realize that this discipline still has a bright future.»
