How To Understand The History Of Italian Fashion

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l everythin at your be ent. start a dipl l sell Italian y well …he … and proba ere always h pleasure.” ttista Giorg ion of photo in Villa To He immedia rchivio di S e are still th oral courty about his gr Villa Torri e was also a d they had teresting, ev ng has to be st but also lomatic car n products e was very g ably this is happy to co gini, Neri Fa ographs, pa rrigiani, th ately realise Stato Firen housands of ard of his h randfather giani. n expert an a lot of fun verything h e perfect plu to enjoy lif reer, to be a abroad and good in inte one of the r ome to Flor adigati, wh apers and m at had been ed its cultur ze, they be f documents hotel Reside and growin ntique colle n partying had to be pe us it is very fe to be nice a diplomat, d this is a w eracting wit reasons he w rence to com ho in 1990 memorabilia n quietly st ral importa gan to scan s and photo enza Il Vill ng up in the ector, this fa and organi erfect, this y important e to yoursel , but becaus way to be d th people a was so succ me to his h a from the tored away ance and, n and ographs to ino in e beautiful ashion sing those is t to work lf to others se of the iplomatic’, and he also cessful ouse to

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huge new m n France an s going to b uce …’. 5.10 – All i gather toge na, Emilio and set abo me Villa Tor e was a bus r himself bu market ope nd Paris fo become a bi images are c ether both Schuberth, out organis rrigiani in F sinessman f ut also for t ening up in r going out g business i copyright of emerging a , Simonetta sing Italy’s February 19 first of all… the others… the States, t at night b in the futur f Archivio-and known a Visconti, first 951. … his goal …and so as , no more ut re and we

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was not just er to sell ev S Ambassad r lost its po h productio n dramatic on the licen n monopoly lity fashion

find his cha his change a m Como, Le , the qualit ll’. So some st produce u se’, so he us tool to be u t to launch erything, n dor Reinhar sition as th n costs, sell cally and re nsing, repro y and haut and day-w ance to brin and he thou ecco, Milan, ty is beautif e Italian pro under Italia sed Fashion used to do t Italian fash not just fash

rdt in 1953

he world’s f ling its luxu estrictive po oduction an te-couture, wear, opene ng forth the ught… he u , the North ful but we n oducers use an names a n to create M that, just F hion, his go hion…” – All photo fashion capi ury collecti olicies impo nd exportat coupled wi d a window e Made In I used to sell h Italy …so need to hav ed French n nd if we wi Made In Ita Fashion, he oal was to m s are copyrig ital, in the p ions when t osed by the ion of Fren th an increa w of opportu Italy brand to North A customers ve a French names, he w ill be able to aly as a bra realized th make Made ight of Arch post-war p the average Chambre S nch designs asing dema unity for co d. American de s used to co h name for t was mad ab o sell fashio and he reali hat Fashion In Italy st ivio eriod it e personal Syndicale . This and for ompetitors epartment me and this brand out that on this will ised n had a rong and

L’Europeo

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Illustration

So it was on February 12,1951, in his home of Villa Torrigiani, that Giovanni Battista Giorgini held Italy’s first fashion show featuring 180 collections, several female buyers from elite North American department stores including Jessica Davis of Bergdorff Goodman, Gertrude Ziminsky of New York’s B. Altman and Stella Haniania of San Francisco’s I.Magnin, and a few

international journalists.

Giorgini had used his connections and charm to convince these high profile buyers to attend his first show in Florence as they were already in Europe for the Paris collections. In the 1950′s, a journey from America to Europe was a long boat trip followed by a long train ride so Giorgini who was used to hosting international buyers in his home, invited his guests for elegant supper at his home and held grand evening balls to entertain his clients as much as to showcase the fine Italian fashion.

Despite the small number of designers and buyers, the event proved to be a great success. All the collections shown that evening were sold, the buyers contacted their stores to send more funds and the ateliers were inundated with orders.

The event gained extensive media coverage in international fashion magazines such as Fashion trade publication, Women’s Wear Daily’s follow-up headline: “Italian styles gain approval of US Buyers.”

Giorgini’s initiative had proven successful in introducing sophisticated Italian fashion, quality fabrics, skilled technical tailoring and many view this event as the official birth of Italian fashion.

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In July 1952 in the beautiful Sala Bianca of Palazzo Pitti, Giorgini’s fourth fashion show was a pivotal event for his enterprise with nine fashion houses participating, along with sixteen houses showcasing boutique styles and sportswear, Florence became the place where all the major Italian fashion shows were held up until 1982 in the Sala Bianca in Palazzo Pitti.

In 1954 Giorgini and his collaborators realised it was necessary to organise this growing wave of fashion business and together they founded the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana (CFMI) designed to promote the fashion events.

From then on, this organisation would promote all the fashion events. There were 500 buyers and 200 journalists at the 1955 shows, making “Pitti” the biggest fashion trade fair in Europe. Now sixty years on the CFMI and Pitti Immagine, are still going strong and the Palazzo Pitti Fashion shows have grown to include Pitti Uomo in 1972 at the Hotel Villa Medici, Pitti Donna in ’75 at Palazzo Strozzi, Pitti Bimbo in ’75, Pitti Filati in ’77, Pitti Casual in ’78 and Pitti Maglia in ’82 devoted to Italian knitwear.

Italian fashion has influenced the world’s designers and fashion admirers, setting a standard of excellence in style and production that has withstood the threat of fast fashion, cheap

counterfeiting, economic pressures and more.

With such a wealth of natural talent and innate style Italian designers such as Versace, Ferragamo, Gucci, Emilio Pucci, Cavalli etc. have deservedly become the stars of the fashion world and it’s difficult to talk about fashion without mentioning their influence so let’s also tip our hat to Count Giovanni Battista Giorgini, the great man who had the vision and charisma to create the international platform for Italian Fashion to stand proudly on.

Neri Fadig

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