LONDON:
From its birth in post-war Florence through to Milan's modern-day
creations, a new London show is celebrating the glory days of the "Made
in Italy" brand, which today is facing an uncertain future.
Spectacular
gowns and accessories from top designers and forgotten brands showcase
the craftsmanship and style that helped rebuild Italy and its global
reputation after World War II.
The exhibition at the
Victoria and Albert Museum is entitled "The Glamour of Italian Fashion
1945-2014", but it has a nostalgic air, a reminder of how Italy's
standing in the fashion world has declined.
The marketing
of Italy as the home of fashion began at the time of the Marshall Plan,
the US aid package that helped rebuild parts of Europe destroyed and
demoralised by war.
With the vision of charismatic
businessman Giovanni Battista Giorgini, the funds helped Italian fashion
play a key role in national reconstruction - and give Paris a run for
its money.
Giorgini succeeded in attracting international
buyers, including US department stores, and organised the first major
show in February 1951, where models sporting elegant dresses and casual
beach wear worked the catwalk at his Florence home.
"The
fact that Giorgini convinced these buyers to come and add Florence after
Paris on their fashion route really brought the international press and
buying power to Italy for the first time," explained exhibition curator
Sonnet Stanfill.
Italy's international reputation for
style was ingrained by the semi-mythical "Sala Bianca" shows, held in
Florence's sumptious Palazzo Pitti and captured on black and white film.
Among those early designers, Emilio Pucci is the only brand currently shown on the runway.
Others
disappeared into obscurity, including Vanna and Emilio Schuberth, who
is represented at the London show by a stunning strapless robe in
various shades of pink.
Cinema and its glamorous stars
served as a unique shop window for Italian designers, thanks to the many
movies filmed in the Cinecitta studios in the 1950s and 1960s.
A
Sorelle Fontana dress worn by Hollywood star Ava Gardner and a Bulgari
necklace and emerald-and-diamond ring given by Richard Burton to his
lover Elizabeth Taylor, who filmed Cleopatra in Rome, are among about
100 exhibits on show.
Combining expert craftsmanship and
lower-than-Paris prices, Italian designers drove a booming export
market, profiting from a thriving textile industry and local skill
clusters: Como for silk, Biella (Piedmont) for wool and Prato (Tuscany)
for leather.
In the 1980s, Milan became the capital of
Italian fashion and the "Made in Italy" brand became an effective
marketing tool worldwide.
Marked by a stunning pair of
Dolce & Gabbana black boots encrusted with stones, and Valentino and
Armani evening dresses, the final part of the exhibition explores the
latest big names in Italian fashion.
It also looks at the uncertain future of an industry plagued by economic difficulties and the advancing age of its designers.
"I
was very aware of the debate that is swirling around Milan at the
moment. If (renowned fashion writer) Suzy Menkes referred to London as a
fashion laboratory, where does that leave Milan?" asked Stanfill.
"I
think the fact that the Camera Nazionale della Moda (Italy's national
fashion council) has created a new position, that of CEO, and appointed a
British female executive, Jane Reeve, to that position, indicates its
own self-awareness that there needs to be a change," she added.
It is a sentiment expressed by the designers themselves in a film shown at the end of the exhibition.
"Italian
fashion needs really to wake up... we need fresh blood," argues Jacopo
Etro, creative director of accessories and leather at Etro. He claims
the high number of designers aged over 70 is blocking progress.
Mariano
Rubinacci, chairman of the eponymous tailoring company, complains of
"unbelievable taxes" while Angela Missoni, creative director of Missoni,
bemoans a lack of government support.
It is a message
that may be particularly poignant for new Italian Prime Minister Matteo
Renzi, 39, who saw the exhibition on Tuesday evening during a visit to
London.
