Curating Italian Fashion

Italy is a major player in the global fashion industry, yet little has been written about its contribution to fashion curation. This book explores the management, display and curation of Italian fashion heritage, highlighting the role played by companies and industry associations. By contextualising fashion curation within Italy's economy, culture and art-historical tradition, Curating Italian Fashion unfolds the ties between the preservation of fashion heritage and corporate policies. It traces the shift of companies from sponsors to cultural producers and discusses the different uses of archives and exhibitions. Through the critical analysis of key examples such as Salvatore Ferragamo and Pitti Immagine, this book illustrates how the inevitable commercial interests underlying fashion curation can exist alongside the scholarly contribution of corporate initiatives. Most importantly, it defines the curatorial approaches developed by the involvement of the industry in fashion curation, thus providing an overarching interpretation of the characteristics of this practice in Italy. Matteo Augello provides an unprecedented insight into the management of Italian fashion heritage and presents a comprehensive account of the development of fashion curation in Italy, drawing from archival records, existing literature and oral history. This book is essential reading for scholars, industry professionals and students interested in the intersections of curation, heritage, national identity and corporate cultural policies.

"Since the 2000s, fashion exhibitions have become some of the most popular displays presented in museums. Fashion brands celebrate anniversaries with blockbuster retrospectives and lavish catalogues, and increasingly exhibit archive pieces in their stores. Italy is a major player in the global fashion industry, yet little has been written about its contribution to fashion curation. This book explores the management, display and curation of Italian fashion heritage, highlighting the role played by companies and industry associations. By contextualising fashion curation within Italy's economy, culture and art-historical tradition, this book unfolds the ties between the preservation of fashion heritage and corporate policies. It traces the shift of companies from sponsors to cultural producers and discusses the different uses of archives and exhibitions. Through the critical analysis of key examples such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Pitti Immagine and Gucci, this book illustrates how the inevitable commercial interests underlying fashion curation can exist alongside the scholarly contribution of corporate initiatives. Most importantly, it defines the curatorial approaches developed by the involvement of the industry in fashion curation, thus providing an overarching interpretation of the characteristics of this practice in Italy. Matteo Augello provides an unprecedented insight into the management of Italian fashion heritage and presents a comprehensive account of the development of fashion curation in Italy, drawing from archival records, existing literature and oral history. This book is essential reading for scholars, industry professionals and students interested in the inter-sections of curation, heritage, national identity and corporate cultural policies."--

As the practice of fashion curation extends into commercial galleries, public and retail spaces, and even to the individual self, professional concepts of 'curating' are undergoing rapid change. Today, everyone is seemingly able to 'curate', but where does this leave the traditional understanding of curation as clothing collected and displayed in a museum? This thought-provoking volume explores the practice of fashion curating in the 21st century, bridging the gap between methods of display and notions of 'the curatorial' in fashion exhibitions, commercial settings, and the virtual world. From fashion's earliest forays into the museum to creative collaborations between luxury fashion brands and artists, this book challenges understandings of fashion curation by drawing on the palpably new spaces, places, and actors in today's curating scene. Exploring poetic and performative museum displays in venues such as the V&A, Somerset House, MoMu and the Royal Ontario Museum, alongside the ways that brands such as Dior, Chanel and Louis Vuitton have made use of 'the curatorial' in their own commercial strategies, Fashion Curating asks pressing questions about controversial funding and collaboration from the commercial fashion sector, and the limitations of producing exhibitions that are at the same time critical and popular. Bringing together approaches from fashion curators, designers and world-renowned academics, curation is positioned as a critical practice that opens up new ways of conceptualizing and theorizing fashion, challenging how we think and what we already know.

"This lavish book is a glamorous, comprehensive look at Italian fashion from the end of the Second World War to the present day. The story is explored through the key individuals and organizations that have contributed to Italy's reputation for quality and style. The book showcases the exceptional range of techniques, materials and expertise for which the 'Made in Italy' brand has become renowned. Essays from experts working in Britain and Italy reveal the reputation and craftsmanship of the fashion industry, documenting Italy's dramatic transition from post-war ruins to the luxury paraded in the landmark 'Sala Bianca' catwalk shows held in Florence in the 1950s, which propelled Italian fashion onto the world stage. During the 1950s and '60s the many Hollywood films that were shot on location in Italy had an enormous impact on fashion as stars such as Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor became style ambassadors for Italian fashion, fuelling a keen international appetite for luxurious clothing made in Italy. Designers and labels featured include Simonetta, Emilio Pucci, Sorelle Fontana, Valentino, Gucci, Missoni, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Versace, through to the next generation of fashion talent."--Dust jacket.

The author offers a snapshot of current contemporary Italian fashions and fashion designers. She has chosen a selection which, designer by designer, breaks down the old identity of Italian fashion to define the new Italian style.

In the first book to examine the role played by textile manufacturing in the development of fashion in Italy, A New History of 'Made in Italy' investigates Italy's transition from a country of dressmakers, tailors and small-scale couturiers in the early post-Second World War period to a major producer of ready-to-wear fashion in the 1980s. It takes the reader from Italy's first internationally attended fashion show in 1951 to Time magazine's Giorgio Armani April 1982 cover story, which signalled the fashion designer's international arrival, and Milan's presence as the capital of ready-to-wear. Chapters focus for the first time on the material substance of Italian fashion – textile – looking at questions including the importance of manufacturing quality, design innovation, composition, production techniques, commerce and the role of textile on the country's overall fashion system. Through these, Lucia Savi brings to light the importance of synthetic fibres, previously little-known players, such as the carnettisti (a type of textile wholesalers) as well as re-investigating well-known couturiers and designers such as Simonetta, Gianfranco Ferré and Gianni Versace. By looking at how things are made, by whom, and where, this book seeks to unpack the 'Made in Italy' label through a focus on making. Informed by extensive archival materials retrieved from a wide range of sources, it brings together the often-separated disciplines of fashion, textile and design history.

Om italiensk mode og modedesignere fra 1945 til i dag

Published to accompany the major V&A exhibition, The Glamour of Italian Fashion showcases the fashions that turned 'Made in Italy' into an internationally recognized mark of style. It brings together stunning fashion photography, archival material, and previously unseen objects from private collections to explore Italian style from the post-war couturiers of the 'Sala Bianca' to the outstanding success of its ready-to-wear brands. Artisanal leather and fur production, exquisite knitwear and fine tailoring have all contributed to Italy's unique position in the consciousness of stylish people everywhere. Here essays from experts working in the UK and Italy reveal the inspiration, reputation and craftsmanship of the Italian fashion industry. Designers and labels featured include Emilio Pucci, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Fendi, Missoni, Valentino, Franco Moschino, Gianni Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Miuccia Prada and Roberto Capucci as well as bespoke tailors and readyto- wear menswear specialists such as Carlo Palazzi and Ermenegildo Zegna.