Wikipedia

Italian fashion

Italyis one of the leading countries infashion design,alongsideFranceand theUnited Kingdom.Fashion has always been an important part of thecountry's cultural lifeand society, and Italians are well known for their attention to dress;la bella figura,or good appearance, retains its traditional importance.

Italian fashion became prominent during the 11th to 16th centuries, when artistic development in Italy was at its peak. Cities such asRome,Palermo,Venice,Milan,Naples,FlorenceandVicenzastarted to produceluxury goods,hats,cosmetics,jewelryand richfabrics.From the 17th century to the early 20th,Italian fashionlost its importance and lustre and Europe's main trendsetter became France, with the great popularity ofFrench fashion;this is due to the luxury dresses which were designed for the courtiers ofLouis XIV.[1]However, since the 1951–53 fashion soirées held byGiovanni Battista Giorginiin Florence,[2]the "Italian school"started to compete with the Frenchhaute couture,and labels such asPradaandGuccibegan to contend withChanelandDior.In 2009, according to theGlobal Language Monitor,Milan,Italy's centre ofdesign,was ranked the topfashion capitalof the world, andRomewas ranked fourth,[3]and, although both cities fell in subsequent rankings, in 2011, Florence entered as the 31st world fashion capital. Milan is generally considered to be one of the "big four" globalfashion capitals,along with New York, Paris, and London; occasionally, the "big five" also includes Rome.[4]

Italian fashion is linked to the most generalized concept of "Made in Italy",a merchandise brand expressing excellence of creativity and craftsmanship. Italian luxury goods are renowned for the quality of the textiles and the elegance and refinement of their construction. Many French, British and American high-top luxury brands (such asChanel,Dior,Balmainand the main line ofRalph Lauren) also rely on Italian craft factories, located in highly specialized areas in the metropolitan area ofNaplesand in the centre-north of Italy (Tuscany,Marche,VenetoandPiedmont), to produce parts of their apparel and accessories.

The nonprofit association that co-ordinates and promotes the development of Italian fashion is theNational Chamber of Italian Fashion(Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana), now led byCarlo Capasa.It was set up in 1958 in Rome, is now settled in Milan and represents all the highest cultural values of Italian fashion. This association has pursued a policy of organisational support aimed at the knowledge, promotion and development of fashion through high-profile events in Italy and abroad. The talent of young, creative fashion is also promoted in Italy, as in the annual ITS (International Talent SupportAwards) young fashion designer competition inTrieste.[5]

Italian fashion houses, designers and luxury brands

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Examples of major Italian fashion houses focused on both menswear and womenswear, but also accessories:[6]

Examples of major fashion brands which are specialized mainly at womenswear (and also accessories for women) areLaura Biagiotti,Blumarine(founded byAnna Molinari),Capucci,Chiara Boni,Alberta Ferretti,Gattinoni,Genny(designed by Sara Cavazza Facchini),Giamba(created by designer Giambattista Valli),Krizia(founded by Mariuccia Mandelli and now art directored by Zhu Chongyun),La Perla,Luisa Spagnoli,Max Mara(created by Ian Griffiths),Miu Miu(founded and directed byMiuccia Prada), Philosophy (directed byLorenzo Serafini),Mila Schonand Twin-set Milano whilst the most important luxury houses which focus only on menswear and accessories for men areBrioni,Canali,Corneliani,Lardini,Stefano Ricci,Zegna(directed byAlessandro Sartori) andPal Zileri.

Luxury sportswear andstreetwearhave become general fashion trends, mi xing high and low, formal and active style in one look and also in this segment Italy, apart from big luxury brands focused on ready to wear (or couture) developing their own streetstyle lines or items such asGucci,Fendi,MoschinoandPradaor top brands with a strong sporty heritage likeBikkembergs,has got a few high end companies focused on this style likeGCDS,OFF Whitefounded by AmericanVirgil Ablohbut based inMilan,Stone island.In sportswear some of the most prominent houses areDiadora,Fila,andKappa.

A few Italian designers head (or have headed) some important fashion brands outside Italy.Riccardo Tiscihad been working for French luxury houseGivenchyfor twelve years until 2017 and in 2018 was named BritishBurberry's creative director until 2022,Maria Grazia Chiuriafter co-heading at Valentino together with Pier Paolo Piccioli now is the first female creative director ever atDior,French fashion brandRochashad been directed byAlessandro Dell'Acquafor a few years and now by Alessandro Vigilante, Marco Colagrossi headsUngaroafter a few years under the directorship of Fausto Puglisi,Nicola Formichettiwas artistic director atMugler,Nino Cerrutifounded his own Paris-based fashion house,Giambattista Valli's main ready to wear and high fashion lines are set in Paris andStefano Pilatiwas for almost eight yearsSaint Laurent's head designer.

Among the newest labels or younger designers, the most prominent are Calcaterra, Del Core, Federico Cina,Golden Goose Deluxe Brand,Stella Jean,Niccolò Pasqualetti andThe Attico.

Other luxury labels which are mainly focused on the production of leather goods such as accessories, especially belts or shoes (but not only), are Anderson's, Aquazzura,Baldinini,Ballin,Bontoni,Casadei,Rene Caovilla,Bruno Magli,Paciotti,Pollini,Gianvito Rossi,Sergio Rossi,Giuseppe Zanotti,while fashion brands or labels which produce primarily bags, totes, suitcases areBraccialini,Furla,Mandarina Duck,Piquadro,Serapian andValextra.

Italy also is home to many fashion magazines, such asVogue Italia,Vanity Fair,Elle,Glamour,Grazia.[7]

Other Italian accessory and jewelry brands, such asLuxottica(owner, amongst several luxury eyewear brands, ofRay-BanandPersol),Safilo,Buccellati,Damiani,Vhernier,Pomellato,Dodo,Morellato,Officine PaneraiandBvlgari.

Modern history

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Main article:History of Italian fashion
The Italian Catherine de' Medici, as Queen of France. Her fashions were the main trendsetters of courts at the time.

Fashion in Italy started to become the most fashionable in Europe since the 11th century, and powerful cities of the time, such asVenice,Milan,Florence,Naples,VicenzaandRomebegan to producerobes,jewelry,textiles,shoes,fabrics,ornamentsand elaboratedresses.[8]Italian fashion reached its peak during theRenaissance.As Italy is widely recognized as the cradle and birthplace of the Renaissance,[9][10]art, music, education, finance and philosophy flourished, and along with it, Italian fashion designs became very popular especially those worn by theMedicisin Florence.[11]The fashions of QueenCatherine de' Mediciof France were considered amongst the most fashionable in Europe.

After a decline in the 17th to mid-20th century, Italy returned to being a leading nation in fashion, and Florence was Italy'sfashion capitalin the 50s and 60s from the very first high fashion parade at the Sala Bianca of thePitti Palace[12][13]in 1952 with names such asEmilio Schuberth,Emilio Pucci,Vincenzo Ferdinandi,Roberto Capucci,Sorelle Fontana,Germana Marucelli,Mila Schön,Fausto Sarli,whilstMilanled the way in the 70s and 80s, with then-new labels and designers such asWalter Albini,Armani,Enrico Coveri,Dolce & Gabbana,Gianfranco Ferré,Romeo Gigli,Krizia,Missoni,Moschino,Luciano Soprani,TrussardiandVersaceand opening up and setting up their first boutiques and emporia. Until the 1970s, Italian fashion was mainly designed for the rich and famous, more or less like the French "Haute Couture".Yet, in the 1970s and 80s, Italian fashion started to concentrate onready-to-wearclothes, such ascoats,jackets,trousers,shirts,jeans,jumpersandminiskirts.Milanbecame more affordable and stylish for shoppers, and Florence was deposed of its position as the Italianfashion capitaland replaced by Rome, which grew in importance as a high fashion pole in the country thanks to the creations ofValentino,Fendi,Roberto Capucci,Renato BalestraandGattinoni.

Today,MilanandRomeare Italy's fashion capitals, and major international centres forfashion design,competing with other cities such asTokyo,Los Angeles,London,ParisandNew York.[3]Also, other cities such asVenice,Florence,Naples,Vicenza,Bologna,GenoaandTurinare important centres. The country's mainshopping districtsare theVia Montenapoleone fashion districtand theGalleria Vittorio Emanuele(Milan),Via dei Condotti(Rome), andVia de' Tornabuoni(Florence).

Cities

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Italian fashion is dominated by Milan, Rome, and to a lesser extent, Florence, with the former two being included in the top 30 fashion capitals of the world.[14]Nonetheless, there are numerous other cities which play an important role in Italian fashion.

Milan

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Main article:Fashion in Milan
Via Montenapoleoneduring the Christmas period
Elegant luxury shops, during the Christmas period, along Via Pietro Verri nearbyVia Montenapoleone

In 2014,Milanwas regarded as the worldfashion capital(based upon frequency of mention in global media outlets), even surpassingNew York,Paris,RomeandLondon.In 2011, Milan was ranked #4, behind London, New York, and Paris.[15]Many of the major Italian fashion brands, such asValentino,Versace,Prada,Armani,Dolce & Gabbana,Marni,Iceberg,Missoni,Trussardi,Moschino,Dirk Bikkembergs,Etro,andZegnaare currently headquartered in the city. International fashion labels also operate shops in Milan, including anAbercrombie & Fitchflagship store. Milan also hosts afashion weektwice a year, just like other international centres such as Paris, London and New York. Milan's main upscale fashion district is the "quadrilatero della moda"(literally," fashion quadrilateral "), where the city's most prestigious shopping streets (Via Montenapoleone,Via della Spiga,Via Sant'Andrea,Via ManzoniandCorso Venezia) are held. TheGalleria Vittorio Emanuele II,thePiazza del Duomo,Via DanteandCorso Buenos Airesare other important shopping streets and squares.

Florence

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See also:Fashion designers of Florence
Luxury boutiques alongFlorence's prestigious Via de' Tornabuoni

Florenceis regarded by some as the birthplace and earliest centre of the modern (post World War Two) fashion industry in Italy. The Florentine "soirées" of the early 1950s organized by Giovanni Battista Giorgini were events where several now-famous Italian designers participated in group shows and first garnered international attention.[16]Florence has served as the home of the Italian fashion companySalvatore Ferragamosince 1928.Gianfranco Lotti,Gucci,Roberto Cavalli,Ermanno Scervino,Stefano Ricci, Patrizia Pepe,Enrico CoveriandEmilio Pucciwere also founded and most of them are still headquartered in Florence. Other major players in the fashion industry such asPradaandChanelhave large offices and stores in Florence or its outskirts. Florence's mainupscale shoppingstreet isVia de' Tornabuoni,where major luxury fashion houses and jewelry labels, such asArmaniandBulgari,have their elegant boutiques. Via del Parione and Via Roma are other streets that are also well known for their high-end fashion stores.[17]

Rome

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See also:Shopping areas and markets in Rome
The Palazzo di Malta, surrounded byHermèsboutiques inVia Condotti,Rome's main upscale shopping street

Romeis widely recognized as a worldfashion capital.Although not as important asMilan,Rome is the world's 4th most important centre for fashion in the world, according to the 2009Global Language MonitorafterMilan,New York and Paris, and beating London.[18]Major Italian luxury fashion houses and jewelry chains, such asValentino,Bulgari,Fendi,Laura Biagiotti,GattinoniandBrioni,just to name a few, are headquartered in or were founded in the city. Also, other major labels, such asChanel,Prada,Dolce & Gabbana,ArmaniandVersacehave luxury boutiques in Rome, primarily along its prestigious and upscaleVia dei Condotti.Rome Fashion Weekis an important global showcase.

Other cities

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Although Milan, Rome and Florence are commonly regarded as the leading cities in Italian fashion, other cities, such asVenice,Vicenza,Prato,Turin,NaplesandBologna,are also important centres for Italian clothing design and industry. Venice, for instance, is the home of Italian fashion houseRoberta di Camerino,which was founded in 1945. The brand is famous for its handbags, and is most notably associated with the creation of theit bag,a form of handbag which is recognisable due to itsstatus symbol.[19]Brands such asMax MaraandUnited Colors of Benetton,despite being major Italian brands, are not headquartered in Milan, Rome or Florence, yet, the former has its headquarters inReggio Emilia,[20]and the latter inPonzano Veneto.Italian holdingOTBheld byRenzo Rosso,owner of different ready-to-wear brands such asDieseland also fashion houses likeMarni,Dutch labelViktor & Rolfand BelgianMaison Margiela,is headquartered in the countryside near Vicenza in the region ofVeneto.Italian companiesCesare Paciottiand alsoTod's,owned by businessmanDiego Della Valle(which produces luxury shoes, other leather goods and also clothes under the labels ofTod'sitself,Roger Vivier,Hogan, Fay and haute couture brandSchiaparelli),Santoni,Bontoniare headquartered in the region ofMarche,a very important manufacturing district for shoes and leather components in the Adriatic coast. Fashion housesFabiana FilippiandBrunello Cucinelli's home is the region ofUmbriaand luxury brandsKitonandHarmont & Blainewere founded inNaples[21][22][23]which is also another prominent area of the country for the manufacturing of apparel and accessories (especially shoes and leather goods in general around the district ofSolofra).

Fashion shows and fairs

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Main article:Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week

TheMilan Fashion Weektakes place twice a year after theLondon Fashion Weekand before theParis Fashion Week.It is scheduled as the third of the four most important and global international ready-to-wear fashion weeks of the calendar during the so-called fashion month. Dates are determined by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. Some of the locations where fashion shows are held are Milan'sPalazzo Reale,Palazzo Serbelloni,Padiglione Visconti, Spazio delle Cavallerizze at Leonardo da Vinci museum and many others.[24] Another prominent platform for men's collections and new projects in fashion industry isPitti Immaginein Florence at theFortezza da Basso,held twice a year.[25]

References

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  1. ^"Nicole Kipar's late 17th century Clothing History - Baroque Costumes".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-12-01.Retrieved2010-01-06.
  2. ^"The birth of italian fashion".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-10-16.Retrieved2011-10-21.
  3. ^ab"The Global Language Monitor » Fashion".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-11-01.Retrieved2011-10-21.
  4. ^You searched for fashion capital – The Global Language Monitor
  5. ^Get to Know the Young Winners of the 2020 International Talent Support Awards - Vogue 28.10.2020.
  6. ^"Italian Fashion: Designers and Brands - Made-In-Italy".made-in-italy.5 January 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2012.Retrieved15 October2009.
  7. ^"Italian Fashion, Beauty and Style Magazines".Made-In-Italy. 7 January 2011.
  8. ^"ITALIAN FASHION >> Italian Fashion Tips | ITALIAN FASHION Guide!".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-08-16.Retrieved2011-10-21.
  9. ^"WebMuseum: The Italian Renaissance (1420-1600)".ibiblio.org.
  10. ^"HISTORY OF THE RENAISSANCE".historyworld.net.
  11. ^"Italian Renaissance Fashion".renaissance-spell.
  12. ^"Epoca n.95/1952"(PDF).
  13. ^Fallaci – Mame Fashion Dictionary
  14. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-05-14.Retrieved2014-09-26.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^"The Global Language Monitor » Fashion".Languagemonitor. 2011-08-20.Retrieved2011-11-20.
  16. ^"the birth of italian fashion".Gbgiorgini.it. Archived fromthe originalon 16 October 2011.Retrieved5 May2009.
  17. ^"Travel Guide to Florence".11 November 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 8 September 2017.Retrieved26 November2011.
  18. ^"The Global Language Monitor » Fashion".Languagemonitor. 2009-07-20. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-11-01.Retrieved2009-10-17.
  19. ^Patner, Josh (2006-02-26)."From Bags to Riches".The New York Times.
  20. ^http:// hoovers /company/Max_Mara_Fashion_Group_Srl/hksyhi-1.html[bare URL]
  21. ^"Benetton Group - Corporate Website".benettongroup.Archived fromthe originalon 2004-09-28.Retrieved2011-09-02.
  22. ^Limited, Mario Corporation."Italian Fashion Wholesale clothing - apparel supplier in Italy".mariocorp.{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  23. ^"Italian brands distribution supply wholesale designer fashion luxury clothes - Italian Fashion buying house".italianbrandsdistribution.
  24. ^"Milano Fashion Week: La Settimana della Moda che fa Tendenza!"(in Italian). 23 August 2018.Retrieved8 January2024.
  25. ^List of Exhibitorsaccessed January 13, 2015

Further reading

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  • Martin, R. (1997).Gianni Versace.New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.ISBN9780870998423.
  • Dagmar Reichardt,Moda Made in Italy. Il linguaggio della moda e del costume italiano,edited and with a preface by Dagmar Reichardt and Carmela D'Angelo (Ed.), presenting an interview withDacia Maraini,Firenze, Franco Cesati Editore, (Civiltà italiana. Terza serie, no. 10), 2016, (ISBN978-8876675768), 230 pp.
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