Italian Fashion and Culture Post 10

This week we had a lecture on the Italian Fashion industry in Milan. After WWII, Florence emerged as Italy's first fashion capital, holding the first fashion shows in the Pitti Palace, but Rome was quick to emerge as a competitor. While the two were vying for supremacy, it left the door open for another competitor, Milan, to emerge. Milan is a city known for business and industry, as well as its history of design.
There are many designers who are currently based out of Milan, including Versace, Armani, D&G, Valentino and Prada, and have been there for decades. There are also many houses that started in other cities and moved to Milan because it was such an ideal place to be. Each of these fashion houses has a rich and interesting history. I enjoyed learning about how Milan rose to become the fashion capital of the world, because it seems like an unlikely contender.

Italian Fashion and Culture Post 9

For my second student choice visit, I was able to see the Duomo Museum in Florence. The museum is located directly behind the Duomo itself, on the sight where all the sculptures for the Duomo were carved, and it houses most of the original pieces from the Duomo. It holds many of the original sculptures, as well as the reliquaries from the church and designs for the facade. It is also possibly one of my favorite museums in Florence because you are able to take pictures there.
The museum has a room of facade designs proposed in the 1800s when it was decided that they would finally finish the facade. It also includes wooden models for the facade that were made in the 1600s. They had several sculptures that were originally on the outside of the Duomo and have since been replaced with copies because they are so damaged by the weather. They also have an unfinished Pieta by Michelangelo, carved when he was in his eighties, and a wood carving of Mary Magdalene by Donatello that is very expressive and seems years ahead of its time.

Drawing Project 2

With our first major project thankfully behind us, we're underway on our second drawing project in Italy. This project's focus is on Sustainability. Our focus is to create a business and design a 30 piece collection that reflects the concept of sustainability in the fashion industry. It's a concept that I'm interested in because I think it's a long term consumer trend. Very soon, consumers are not going to be happy with the "Wal-Mart" style of shopping. Rather than spending almost nothing on clothes that last almost no time, the trend will return to having a few quality pieces that last forever and styles will change less often, and the fashion industry should be prepared for this.
For my project, I am drawing inspiration from the Appalachia region in the US. It's by far one of the poorest areas in the county, despite being rich in natural resources like coal and timber. I wanted to use it as my inspiration because I liked the idea of living close to nature out of necessity rather than choice. Appalachian culture runs deep in the areas around the mountains, and there is a rich tradition of using natural dyes, weaving, knitting, and crafting.

I am very excited about this project and will hopefully have some pictures up before the end of the year!

Italian Fashion and Culture Post 8

This week we were able to venture to Prato nearby Florence and visit their textile museum. Prato is a center for textile production in Italy, particularly wool and in recent years, recycled textiles. They have been producing textiles since the 12th century in Italy. The museum was opened in 1975, housing exhibits about the history and the future of textiles.
The exhibit we saw related to the future of fabric and textiles. The first fabrics we saw were from natural materials. Some were expected, like soy, bamboo, and corn, but some were pretty unexpected, such as the spider silk and the milk protein fabrics. We also saw some very innovative textiles, such as ones from the Beijing Olympics that lit up, and some advanced garments made from these innovative textiles, such as a garment made of fabric that became rigid when it encountered an impact. It gave me some really great ideas for my upcoming drawing project.

Italian Fashion and Culture Post 7

For my first student choice visit, I chose to go to the Bargello Museum. The Bargello is a museum around the corner from my apartment that houses mostly sculptures, but also has some metalworks, wood carvings and ceramics. It is housed in the oldest civic building in Florence, with some sculptures in the building's inside courtyard. I enjoyed the fact that the museum was both inside and outside. It is a museum that sees fewer visitors than other museums despite having some very well known pieces.
The museum had sculptures from throughout the Renaissance. There is an entire room, called the Donatello Room, that houses works by Donatello or his students. A majority of the sculptures outside around Florence are copies, and the Bargello has many of the originals, including the lions outside Palazzo Vecchio, Donatello's St. George from outside Orsanmichele and two of Donatello's David sculptures. They also have the original competition panels by Ghiberti and Brunelleschi for the doors of the Florence Baptistry. It was interesting to see these pieces in person, and because the museum is not overcrowded like others, you are able to get very close to the pieces.