Lecture 6 – Italian Fashion
Label « made in Italy » stands for : elegance, quality, luxury, exquisite crafsmanship and
technological innovation.
1. History
2. Giori Armani
3. Dolce Gabbanna
History
Four creative ‘explosions’ :
Trade embargo (1936)
- Mussolini invaded Ethiopia which caused the UN to apply economic sanctions to Italy. So about
55 countries refused to trade with Italy and so caused a shortage in Italy.
- So Italian designers have to come up with alternatives solutions, they start using local materials
(straw, raffia, cork, roots → unconventional materials)
= a mindset of craftsmanship and design
Casual Elegance (1950s)
- After WW2, rise of ready-to-wear
- Fashion played an important role for the economic reconstruction (Marshall plan), they exported
textiles, hand bags but soon started exporting clothing as the american department stores were
interested. (inexpensive alternative to french cloth)
- ex: advertisment Vespa → casual elegance of a couple on a vespa in an italian setting, or capri
pants to relax but still sophisticated and high quality.
, The 1950s:
Typical Italian Fashions
Casual + tradition/heritage
=
Casual Elegance :
THE look for the post war lifestyle
1970’s creative explosion in designs, products, and fashionable
After years of modernism where form should follow function, designers make use of kitsch and
irony to discuss function (post-modernism).
Ex: object designed sofas, you could only lay on them not sit, lounge lifestyle
The economic boom of the 1980’s : designers become celebrities
ex: Armani on the cover of Time magazine
Italy as a clothing factury was becoming even more important.
All sort of collaborations appeared:
Modernistic school → clea rand sober lines
→ sober use of colour
→ function-led aesthetic
→ luxury doesn’t show on the outside (private kind of
luxury)
The Theatrical school → kitsch nostalgia
→ over the top
→ celebration of life’s pleasures and tragedy
Armani : “one of the top brands named by core luxury millenials as a luxury brand” - Time
magazine, march 2008
Milleanials thought Armani was a top brand:
why ? Bc his style never goes out of style, his style goes back to the classic dandy but he adds
his own touch which is the Casual Elegance (which the Italian characteristic). He makes the
dandy casual.
who is he ? he started working at an italian dep. Store, he worked as a window dresser, then
worked at an italian house where he learnt about tailoring and fashion style.
Giorgio Armani // Sergio Galeotti
→ trademark registered in 1975
→ start making collections
Armani starts working for several brands/manufacturers at the same time.
Label « made in Italy » stands for : elegance, quality, luxury, exquisite crafsmanship and
technological innovation.
1. History
2. Giori Armani
3. Dolce Gabbanna
History
Four creative ‘explosions’ :
Trade embargo (1936)
- Mussolini invaded Ethiopia which caused the UN to apply economic sanctions to Italy. So about
55 countries refused to trade with Italy and so caused a shortage in Italy.
- So Italian designers have to come up with alternatives solutions, they start using local materials
(straw, raffia, cork, roots → unconventional materials)
= a mindset of craftsmanship and design
Casual Elegance (1950s)
- After WW2, rise of ready-to-wear
- Fashion played an important role for the economic reconstruction (Marshall plan), they exported
textiles, hand bags but soon started exporting clothing as the american department stores were
interested. (inexpensive alternative to french cloth)
- ex: advertisment Vespa → casual elegance of a couple on a vespa in an italian setting, or capri
pants to relax but still sophisticated and high quality.
, The 1950s:
Typical Italian Fashions
Casual + tradition/heritage
=
Casual Elegance :
THE look for the post war lifestyle
1970’s creative explosion in designs, products, and fashionable
After years of modernism where form should follow function, designers make use of kitsch and
irony to discuss function (post-modernism).
Ex: object designed sofas, you could only lay on them not sit, lounge lifestyle
The economic boom of the 1980’s : designers become celebrities
ex: Armani on the cover of Time magazine
Italy as a clothing factury was becoming even more important.
All sort of collaborations appeared:
Modernistic school → clea rand sober lines
→ sober use of colour
→ function-led aesthetic
→ luxury doesn’t show on the outside (private kind of
luxury)
The Theatrical school → kitsch nostalgia
→ over the top
→ celebration of life’s pleasures and tragedy
Armani : “one of the top brands named by core luxury millenials as a luxury brand” - Time
magazine, march 2008
Milleanials thought Armani was a top brand:
why ? Bc his style never goes out of style, his style goes back to the classic dandy but he adds
his own touch which is the Casual Elegance (which the Italian characteristic). He makes the
dandy casual.
who is he ? he started working at an italian dep. Store, he worked as a window dresser, then
worked at an italian house where he learnt about tailoring and fashion style.
Giorgio Armani // Sergio Galeotti
→ trademark registered in 1975
→ start making collections
Armani starts working for several brands/manufacturers at the same time.
