Fashion design: from haute couture to pret-a-porter

While in Rome, students will discover and focus on haute couture, hence high end garments that are customised and hand-tailored using unique and unusual materials. Lectures will explore the history and development of haute couture up-to-present-day role in the fashion industry. Through visits to fashion exhibitions, archives, and ateliers, students will gain awareness on the context and artistic development of the Italian style and fashion system. Participants will conduct a personal research project on traditional and contemporary approaches to fashion design, either individually or in groups, aiming to develop a haute couture collection through mood boards, illustrations, texts, videos, or the creation of a moulage (draping textile) prototype. In Milan, students will discover and focus on a social and cultural analysis of the Italian fashion industry, exploring the philosophies, styles, and business structures of some of the most iconic Italian fashion brands. Participants will be invited to consider how designers combine the quality of haute couture with the practical market needs of prêt-à-porter collections. Through visits to milanese fashion showrooms and studios, students will gain awareness on the industrial prêt-à-porter system, that is, factory-made clothing sold off the rack in standardised sizes. Either individually or in groups, participants will develop a prêt-à-porter collection through moodboards, illustrations, texts, videos, or the creation of a moulage (draping textile) prototype.