Experience course
While in Rome, students will discover and focus
on haute couture, hence high-end garments that
are customized 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 standardized sizes. Either individually or in
groups, participants will develop a prêt-à-porter
collection through mood boards, illustrations,
texts, videos, or the creation of a moulage
(draping textile) prototype.