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COLLECTION NOTES

“Uniform” is a word with many meanings: it can mean staying the same without change, or it can refer to a specific set of clothing that shows which group someone belongs to. In Testinoland, the world is everchanging, and clothing is not worn to signify belonging, but rather, believing.
 Everyday people computing to and from their workplaces are the principal source of inspiration for CSM graduate Sofia Testino; it always has been, but especially this past year while designing her 2026 Uniforms collection. Viewing workers from Testino’s perspective of admiration recontextualizes the mundanity of adult responsibility into a fantastical world full of characters in costume. Commuting to and from any destination alongside Sofia includes multiple stops and candid photographs captured, as she exclaims to you, “Did you see that person? Amazing.” The earnest enthusiasm that Sofia has for human individuality is the impetus of her work as a designer; it is felt palpably in her personal style and is conspicuous in this collection that feels distinctively inimitable.

The collection imagines 12 professions: a scientist, an air hostess, a farmer, a postal worker, a housekeeper, a concierge, a seamstress, a pest control worker, a locksmith, a nurse, a dry cleaner, and a cosmetologist. Designed in ode to the essential workers who are often overlooked in our world, in Testinoland, they are held in the highest regard. Signifiers of the professions are playful but purposeful fixtures on each piece; colorful, toy-like keys cast with Sofia’s face hang from a keyring on the locksmith coat, while a yellow cleaning glove is sewn tactfully into the pocket of the housekeeper dress. The concierge coat, constructed with thick neoprene, big silver buttons, and tinselled cording, creates a puffy, almost cartoonesque article, but on the body, the silhouette is slim and elegant, almost shocking in its simplicity and wearability. The elements of camp are seamlessly effective, balanced skilfully through materiality, colour, and tailoring. Sofia Testino shoeboxes depict the evolution of an ape into a woman wearing a uniform dress. Inside, The Work Wedge reimagines a 1950s work loafer with a modern wedged heel; a replica of smushed chewing gum is fitted to the outsole, and the insole depicts “female anatomy,” with handbags, makeup, and shoes where internal organs would be. The emblem on her main label tags depicts two penises with wings subtly hugging each side of an “ST” crest. Attention to detail is as inherent to Testino in designing and world-building as it was when she first noticed these characters on their daily commute. Ahead of the collection’s release, she began establishing the identity of Testinoland online through one-of-one cotton knickers, tongue-in-cheek visa application references, hand-fabricated wooden girl hangers, faux DOJ paperwork with Polaroids of herself affixed, and hundreds of photos of well-dressed strangers—the very people who make Testinoland a place she dreams of.
Words by: Bella M. Lucio
Photography: Morgan Maher, Makeup: Julian Stoller, Hair: Becca Velez, Models: Riley Erin, Riska Seval, Linnea Ross, Azelle Acin, Aminata Ndoye, Production: Curzio Cremaschi, Luca Mazzarini,
Design Asistant: Devon Carlson