How Italian brands save the country from crisis
During the whole of 2014, Florence, the historic center of the Italian Renaissance, celebrates the 60th anniversary of the fashion industry, which after the war pulled the country out of the chaos and on which high hopes are pinned again today. The reason for the holiday is impressive: behind the smiles of hereditary Italian beauties, who traditionally show impeccable taste in the photographs of Le 21ème and Tommy Ton, the modern Italian economy is undergoing recession. What is significant for the country, the authorities see the solution to the problem of the economic crisis in the support of the local fashion industry. And especially Florence - the world center of handicraft art and the city, which in the 50s of the last century, thanks to the fashion shows in the Palazzo Pitti, drew the attention of the fashion press from Paris and Milan.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 86th male fashion exhibition Pitti Uomo, the current Prime Minister of Italy (formerly the mayor of Florence, and since July 1, the president of the European Union, defining the development of all of Europe for six months), Matteo Renzi, said: "Today we celebrate 60 anniversary of Italian fashion. Abroad, many are showing a burning interest in Italy and the Italian style, the importance of which until today we have tended to underestimate. " For many years, the government really underestimated the Italian way of life, focusing on the development of the chemical and automotive industries. Today, the authorities have returned to the idea that the key goods for export are concentrated in the hands of local artisans, for which Florence is so famous, and luxury fashion brands.
At the same time, Renzi promises quite selective support. Thus, reduction and bankruptcy are inevitable for many companies in the fashion market, however, those brands that have proven their resilience and attractiveness will receive support from the Florentine Italian Fashion Center (led by Stefano Ricci) and the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. What distinguishes successful companies from the rest? Careful work with historical archives - brands with a long history today revive archetypes, which were created by them in the mid-50s and are easily read through the generations. At the same time, there is an archetype that unites Italian brands - instead of a complex philosophy, they offer vitality, the ability to be completely devoted to entertainment or business. I must say, this idea today looks fair and attractive, even against the backdrop of fatigue from fashion and the consumption of things, which are now much talked about. Italians never get tired of beautiful things.
Italian fashion even provides desperate workaholics with the opportunity to fall in love with life, their appearance and the world around.
High Italian fashion of the 50s – 60s of the 20th century, which was shown in the oldest Florentine Palazzo Pitti (which served as the Medici residence, the dynasty of the Lorraine dukes and, finally, the Italian royal family), gave Europeans a chance to treat their appearance for the first time by ease. Emilio Pucci, who built the empire of the same name, said that after the release of the collection, he "will have a nice rest at first, and only then will he talk about future work." And in these words is the essence of the Italian attitude to life, their philosophy for export. Italian fashion even gives desperate workaholics the opportunity to fall in love with life, their appearance and the world around. After all, local designers from the very beginning broadcast kitsch, comfort and free attitude to life. After 60 years, Italian fashion personifies the world's luxury, sexuality and sets a simple coordinate system. In addition, it offers consistently high quality fabrics, accessories (buttons, zippers, zippers) and supports the tradition of production.
At the opening of the Florentine exhibition, Renzi said: "The crisis is not over yet. And do not hide it." One cannot but agree with him. The crisis can and should be shown on display, as well as the main Florentine designers, whose houses, history and impressive archives determine the revival of interest in Italian fashion and whose contribution to the common cause was marked by a special project Firenze Hometown of Fashion. We tell about the main Italian houses and their initiatives: projects, exhibitions and dinner parties, designed to bring back the new "Italian style" that has been born out over the years.
Salvatore ferragamo
Ferragamo shoes were worn by Hollywood celebrities back in the 20s of the XX century (remember at least Greta Garbo) and are still worn, giving preference to shoes that have been marked “Handmade in Italy” for almost a hundred years. Ferrurious genius Ferragamo allowed the team of the museum Salvatore Ferragamo to open exhibitions from season to season, without risking to repeat with the selection of exhibits. The legacy of the shoemaker at this time in Florence is presented in conjunction with the works of great artists - from Auguste Rodin to Bruce Naumann and Marina Abramovich. The exhibition is called "Balance" and presents a detailed study of the relationship between man, the city and shoes, which allows him to walk comfortably - and this is what Salvatore sought in design. "Modernity has changed a lot by influencing the interaction of a person with urban space, changing attitudes towards travel, but the Europeans still walked on foot," said British writer Will Self and one of the invited experts of the project. Collecting an impressive collection of works of art (the theme of which is the plastic of the human body) and the Ferragamo design collection that mirrors it, curator of the exhibition, Stefania Ricci, created an important project that is open for walking around until April 12, 2015.
Emilio pucci
To draw attention to the heritage of the Marquis Emilio Pucci, the house of Emilio Pucci, with the support of the fashion center, created the object "Monumental Pucci", which is not inferior in scale to the draperies of Cristo. The medieval baptistery of San Giovanni was draped with a cloth repeating the print of Pucci’s “Battistero” original scarf - to the horror of cultural studies and the joy of tourists. The object confirms the joke that Emilio Pucci can be seen a mile away.
Marquis Emilio Pucci, who released his first collection of ski suits in 1947, became known as a master of prints. In his quest to get to the essence of flowers, Pucci's principle of work can be compared to the works of Renaissance masters: “Imagine the flowers that you cut and put in a vase. Shades that change over time are almost impossible to convey using artificial dyes. For me, the task is to preserve the natural palette, using it in the development of modern models, "- wrote Pucci. His main foreign client was Marilyn Monroe, whose influence to this day is almost more noticeable than the history of the Italian style. Signor Pucci also designed the emblem for the crew of the Apollo 15 spacecraft and was the author of the first ultra-light cruise collection dedicated to his beloved Capri - the dresses weighed 700 grams and fit without problems in a traveling case.
"Monumental Pucci" - a tribute to his work and the tactical step of the Florentine Center of Italian fashion, designed to draw attention to the history and fate of the house. The step is powerful, although there could be more photos with the hashtag #monumentalpucci.
Gucci
The house with the most confusing history, which began as a company for the production of luggage bags. Known for its successful business model, Gucci is owned by Florence and provides an impressive amount of jobs for local artisans. Together with the 60th anniversary of Pitti Immagine, the fashion house celebrates its nominal 110th anniversary. It is worth noting that, unlike Pucci, the company traveled along far more brutal economic slides, which in spite of everything brought Gucci to the level of one of the most recognizable and traditional Italian brands. Today, the brand under the leadership of creative director Frida Giannini still personifies luxury. Gucci from season to season requires an increasing number of new buyers and employees.
As part of the Firenze Hometown of Fashion program, the Gucci Museum organizes a light show, and it itself hosts the exhibition "Femminilità Radicale", devoted to the radical feminist art of the late 60's and 70's - time, traces of which are quite difficult to see in the collections of the house. Nevertheless, the sculptures of Alina Shaposhnikova represent the concept of a “fragile body,” which artisans working at home know about firsthand, and which can be seen at the exhibition.
Ermanno scervino
The Ermanno Scervino house among Florentine is one of the youngest - it was founded in 2000 and debuted with the women's collection at Milan Fashion Week in 2003. In a short time, Ermanno created an empire with a profit of 100 million euros per year and several lines of clothing: women's, men's, children's, underwear and swimwear. The main markets for them today except Europe are the Eastern countries: Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Japan and Korea. The founder of the house, Ermanno Daelli, is a rare Florentine designer who continues to manage his growing empire without leaving the city. Things like Ermanno Scervino are worn by both Asia Argento and Kim Kardashian. Due to the fact that Ermanno continues to work, no additional interest should be attracted to his house, appealing to traditions or history. It is enough that within the framework of the anniversary Pitti Uomo, the designer gave a luxurious reception at Fort Belvedere, which shortly before that helped to remove his friend Kanye West for the musician's wedding. Instagram Susie Menkes confirms: Kanye was at the reception, he expressed respect for the designer and thus confirmed the relevance of the brand, despite his youth, still built around the patriotic motto "Made in Italy".
The credo of Italian fashion is manual, hard, but rewarding work; the goal is customer satisfaction, the awakening of a taste for life. The clearly defined roles of men and women for whom Emilio Pucci, Roberto Capucci, Valentino Garavani and many others worked, as well as the definition of personal style as family wealth accumulated by several generations, contain the secret of the eternal freshness and naturalness of the images of Italian men, girls, grandfathers and matron. There is no excessive pedantry in their even the most colorful and complex garments. This should be remembered when looking at photos of Italian street style. Of course, while the liveliness of fashion houses has to be emphasized, referring to museum exhibits, and this means that the crisis has not yet been overcome. But at least they do not hide him.
Photo: Pitti immagine uomo