<<A>> new history of 'made in Italy' fashion and textiles in post-war Italy

In the first book to examine the role played by textile manufacturing in the development of fashion in Italy, A New History of 'Made in Italy' investigates Italy's transition from a country of dressmakers, tailors and small-scale couturiers in the early post-Second World War period to a major producer of ready-to-wear fashion in the 1980s. It takes the reader from Italy's first internationally attended fashion show in 1951 to Time magazine's Giorgio Armani April 1982 cover story, which signalled the fashion designer's international arrival, and Milan's presence as the capital of ready-to-wear. Chapters focus for the first time on the material substance of Italian fashion – textile – looking at questions including the importance of manufacturing quality, design innovation, composition, production techniques, commerce and the role of textile on the country's overall fashion system. Through these, Lucia Savi brings to light the importance of synthetic fibres, previously little-known players, such as the carnettisti (a type of textile wholesalers) as well as re-investigating well-known couturiers and designers such as Simonetta, Gianfranco Ferré and Gianni Versace. By looking at how things are made, by whom, and where, this book seeks to unpack the 'Made in Italy' label through a focus on making. Informed by extensive archival materials retrieved from a wide range of sources, it brings together the often-separated disciplines of fashion, textile and design history. Cover Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents Illustrations Acknowledgments Glossary Introduction Locating Italian Fashion Primary Research Sources Research Parameters Chapter Structure 1 Fibers and the Making of Italian Textiles in the Post-War Period Introduction Italy Between Tradition and Modernity From Paris to the USA’s Influence Fibers and Politics Italian Fashion’s Materiality Natural, Artificial, and Synthetic Fibers SNIA Viscosa and Fibers Promotion 2 The American Export Market and its Influence on Italian Design Introduction Textiles Make Fashion: Italy at Work and Sala Bianca Sala Bianca Italy and the USA: Export and Domestic Market Boutique Fashion as Proto Italian Ready-to-Wear The Mechanisms of Copies: Italy and the USA Between “Made in Italy” and Export 3 The 1960s, a Decade of Metamorphosis in Italian Fashion Introduction Treaty of Rome and Export The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) and the Promotion of High Fashion New Ways of Production, with New Products and New Ways of Consumption 4 Fashion Meets Industry: The Role of Carnettisti in Domestic and International Markets Carnettisti in Italy The Assortitori Tessuti Novità (Sorters of New Textiles) Nattier Distribution of Textiles in the 1960s Carnettisti in the CNMI: Toward a Codified Role and Crisis 5 Milan and the Stilisti Introduction The Rise of Milan Distretti Industriali (Industrial Districts) The Stilista, the Link Between Textile and Fashion Production The Stilista and Industrial Production Transition from Carnettista to Stilista 6 Designing for Mass Production Designing Fashion Fashion Working Drawings: Literature Review Fashion Working Drawings Decoded Gianfranco Ferré: A Case Study Conclusion Inside Fashion: The Role of Materials and Production Notes Bibliography Index Plates Shortlisted for the Association of Dress Historians Book of the Year Award, 2024In the first book to examine the role played by textile manufacturing in the development of fashion in Italy, A New History of'Made in Italy'investigates Italy's transition from a country of dressmakers, tailors and small-scale couturiers in the early post-Second World War period to a major producer of ready-to-wear fashion in the 1980s. It takes the reader from Italy's first internationally attended fashion show in 1951 to Time magazine's Giorgio Armani April 1982 cover story, which signalled the fashion designer's international arrival, and Milan's presence as the capital of ready-to-wear.Chapters focus for the first time on the material substance of Italian fashion – textile – looking at questions including the importance of manufacturing quality, design innovation, composition, production techniques, commerce and the role of textile on the country's overall fashion system. Through these, Lucia Savi brings to light the importance of synthetic fibres, previously little-known players, such as the carnettisti (a type of textile wholesalers) as well as re-investigating well-known couturiers and designers such as Simonetta, Gianfranco Ferré and Gianni Versace.By looking at how things are made, by whom, and where, this book seeks to unpack the'Made in Italy'label through a focus on making. Informed by extensive archival materials retrieved from a wide range of sources, it brings together the often-separated disciplines of fashion, textile and design history. In the first book to examine the role played by textile manufacturing in the development of fashion in Italy, A New History of 'Made in Italy' investigates Italy's transition from a country of dressmakers, tailors and small-scale couturiers in the early post-Second World War period to a major producer of ready-to-wear fashion in the 1980s. It takes the reader from Italy's first internationally attended fashion show in 1951 to Time magazine's Giorgio Armani April 1982 cover story, which signalled the fashion designer's international arrival, and Milan's presence as the capital of ready-to-wear. Chapters focus for the first time on the material substance of Italian fashion - textile - looking at questions including the importance of manufacturing quality, design innovation, composition, production techniques, commerce and the role of textile on the country's overall fashion system. Through these, Lucia Savi brings to light the importance of synthetic fibres, previously little-known players, such as the carnettisti (a type of textile wholesalers) as well as re-investigating well-known couturiers and designers such as Simonetta, Gianfranco Ferre and Gianni Versace. By looking at how things are made, by whom, and where, this book seeks to unpack the 'Made in Italy' label through a focus on making. Informed by extensive archival materials retrieved from a wide range of sources, it brings together the often-separated disciplines of fashion, textile and design history