The beginnings of the "Italian style" fashion
Marco-Carlo Belfanti has regularly examined the phenomenon of Made in Italy in the fashion sector. According to the professor of economic history at the University of Brescia, the search for the label began after the Second World War, when Italy had to be rebuilt in ruins. American aid under the Marshall Plan helped re-equip Italian factories; the economy took off again, driven largely by the textile industry. In 1951, Giovanni Battista Giorgini, a wealthy Florentine entrepreneur and merchant, launched his first fashion show in the magnificent Pitti Palace, followed by a second. As a good influencer of his time, he dared to compete with Parisian haute couture, seducing the press, American department stores and wealthy customers. The myth of Made in Italy was launched and with it the fascination for Italian good taste.
The heritage of aestheticism, elegant design and refined craftsmanship is in continuity with local know-how. For example, the Piedmontese spinning mill Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti, the Florentine shoe manufacturer Salvatore Ferragamo and the leather goods manufacturer Guccio Gucci, both from Florence, draw their legitimacy from local workshops and family-run businesses for international buyers.
The need for glamour is asserting itself in cinema
In the 1950s and 1960s, Hollywood films made in Italy had a huge impact on fashion. American stars Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor were the best ambassadors, but also Sophia Lauren, the muse of Gucci, who made people want to dress like her, to walk like her, with her je-ne-sais-quoi of such glamour.
On the men's side, the reputation of the Italian suit is growing internationally thanks to actors like Peck, Mastroianni, Delon or Belmondo. The demand for made-to-measure suits is growing in Florence, Rome and Naples. Milan, the industrial city, imposed itself at the beginning of the 1970s, with a more affordable manufactured fashion. The capital of Lombardy became the Italian showcase for Made in Italy ready-to-wear. From small neighborhood workshops to the most exclusive houses, the city functions like a big professional sewing machine, a magnet for gold needles, designers and stylists.
On January 15, 2022, in the middle of Fall-Winter Fashion Week , the death of Nino Cerutti, founder of the eponymous haute couture house, moved the fashion world, then gathered in Milan. The "philosopher of clothing" was 91 years old. An undisputed master of masculine elegance, he leaves an inspiring legacy for the next generation. Avant-garde, he was the first to really break the codes. With him, the uniform, the narrow suit, is over. The unstructured jacket became the obvious. Many celebrities from the big screen adopted it, but also sportsmen like the Formula 1 drivers at Ferrari.
Cerutti popularizes a chic and casual aesthetic, the "class" in all circumstances! Inspired by the professional wardrobe, men's sportswear or the working girl, the great couturier laid the foundations of casual chic. A mixed fashion, basic, today always revised and reworked. "It's not a style of dress, but a lifestyle ", he said. His fine knowledge of fabrics and materials has enabled him to mix fashion design and industrialization, halfway between ready-to-wear and selective fashion.
The label also thinks in terms of accessibility, multiplying the ranges. The company offers luxury products and accessories, perfumes, watches, shoes, jewelry and eyewear. The brand's lasting influence was initiated by a new licensing system. In Paris first, in 1967, a first boutique (Cerruti 1881) opened at 27, rue Royale, under the aegis of a young artistic director, a certain Giorgio Armani.
Between creation and specific regional manufacturing
The Milanese clothing scene is sustained by strong links with its local and regional network, and in the factories and family-owned small and medium-sized businesses, many of the sector's trades are still active. Northern Italy also maintains a renowned manufacturing base in the cutting and distribution of quality fabrics, thread and winding laboratories, embroidery, printing of colors and patterns; in finished manufactured products as well, with eyewear, leather goods and jewelry.
In Piedmont, between the Alps and the Po Valley, Biella is the hometown of Nino Cerruti. Thanks to the pastures for the sheep and the water of the Cervo river for the hydraulic energy, the spinning mills and the dyeing laboratories of the family business are still in operation. Biella has become the Italian capital of wool, classified by Unesco in 2019 as a city of handicrafts and popular arts. Its natural environment has made its fortune. The Prato region in Tuscany, which has a wool tradition, has been industrializing since the 19th century to become one of the most important textile centers in Europe, and has also made a name for itself with its recent research and innovation in terms of recycling yarn and fiber.
To the west of Milan, around Novarre (Piedmont), major Italian and international brands have set up their workshops in a specialized ZAC. The proximity to regional spinning mills allows for the production of luxury garments, which are later shipped to customers by air via the nearby Malpensa airport.
Historically, in the northern region, silk processing was developed at the end of the 19th century on the shores of Lake Como, thanks to the cultivation of mulberry trees and the breeding of silkworms. And, to top it all off, a silk choker can be purchased in the eponymous lake town. The industry of this precious fabric has enriched several Lombard families, who have invested in the silkworm industry. In 1990, the municipality created a silk museum. The visitor can discover the different stages of production up to the printing room. A must-see is the museum's store, where you can buy beautiful models for men and women.
In Tuscany, between Florence and Pisa, the leather industry and craftsmanship dominate. Nearly two hundred and fifty workshops and factories, renowned for the quality of their materials, have transformed the area of activity (shoes, leather goods) into one of the largest European tanning districts, recognized internationally.
Another essential accessory is eyewear. Although Italian eyewear began to develop towards the end of the 19th century, for a long time the object remained a simple prosthesis, neither aesthetic nor very comfortable. It was not until the vision of the pioneer Antonio Da Deppo, in the 1950s, that real change occurred. First a mechanic for the car manufacturer Fiat in Turin, he returned to his native town of Cadore (Veneto) at the foot of the Dolomites to open a small workshop. He then started to make molds that would be used to manufacture components for eyeglasses, which were then sold to small factories in the region. Then he started to produce finished glass, bought new machines and hired specialized workers. The production of more flexible models in celluloid of the Frenk fabbrica occhial begins thus; the story continues today on the research of innovative techniques and materials. This know-how in short circuit will be emulated. The Belluno eyewear center is based on a territorial network, from Cadore, Agordo, Longarone, Feltre to the Alpago basin, and places Italy in a good position. It is the world's leading manufacturer of eyeglasses and sunglasses, which also manages galvanization and delivers small parts, cases and lenses. Four major groups share the market: Luxottica, Safilo Group, Marcolin Group, De Rigo Vision, as well as a network of subcontractors supplying the select high-end eyewear sector.
Globalization, ethical fashion and counterfeiting
In the 1990s, fashion became global. Some Italian designers transformed the family business into an international consortium; high-end houses were now under foreign control, bought by Chanel, Kering or LVMH. But Italy still has some fine independent brands, such as Prada, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Max Mara, Ferragamo or Gianfranco Ferré and, despite the impact of the pandemic and the energy crisis, Italian fashion remains influential.
In Milan, the fashion weeks - 4 per year - are always in the agenda of professionals, alongside Paris, London, New York. The postmoderns are found in Giambattista Valli, Fausto Puglisi, as well as the duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli at Valentino. Also to be discovered are the ultra-modern and feminine creations of Alfredo Cortese's AC9 label, the jersey knitwear of Andrea Adamo, the collections of the Cormio brand with their vitamin-rich colors, and the much more refined collections of Paolo Errico. The latter, originally from Genoa, lives and works between Milan, Paris and London. After graduating from the University of Urbino, he joined the teams of Calvin Klein and Versace as a luxury consultant, and then, in the early 2000s, he designed collections for the Ermenegildo Zegna and Roberto Cavalli groups. In 2005, he created his own fashion house, developing his brand in an almost exclusive use of knitwear by taking advantage of the textile heritage of his country. Paolo readily cites Nino Cerruti as a visionary, but he is totally emancipated from his style. The young designer adapts to the new needs of his generation, who are in search of ergonomics, chromatic purity and functionality. His highly structured style gives rise to multidimensional garments, based on geometric and reversible shapes.
As in France, the new Italian generation is daring. It highlights the fluidity of materials and genres. On his website, Paolo Errico sums up his desire to create sustainable and responsible fashion in a different way: "We will take great care not to destroy the beauty of what we have Thealter-style tells us about the ecosystem in which it is created, relocation, recycling. A traceability on the textile industry that, according to him, must apply to clothing but also to the places-resources, employees of the sector. Let's see if this ethical fashion will have a real echo among fashionistas.
This overview would be incomplete if we failed to mention the scourge of counterfeiting, which is costing Italy dearly. If clothing, bags and shoes are not the only sectors plagued by the fake industry, fashion is particularly affected.
