L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 L'Italo-Americano change on several levels. F a s h i o n h a s a l w a y s reflected the Zeitgeist, the spirit of the time, in society. A f e w w e e k s a g o , M r . Giorgio Armani told me that our way of dressing will be altered by COVID-19. "Our way of dressing will c h a n g e b e c a u s e i t i s inevitable," he said. "The approach will differ depend- ing on the brands and the audience they are targeting, so I think it is premature to talk about that." Fashion will be more sus- tainable and more accor- dant with nature. Fashion will allow the universe to run harmoniously. It will be tuned to nature finely. " I b e l i e v e t h e f a s h i o n world should draw lessons from this experience and review or rethink priori- ties," Mr. Armani told me. "I always thought that the e x c e s s i v e p r e s s u r e o n designers to produce and show more and more col- lections and special cap- sules per year responded more to the fashion indus- try's need rather than to real customer requests as the retail shops are saturat- ed by oversupply and over- production." The legendary Milanese fashion designer added that "this shocking, scary expe- rience teaches us an obvi- o u s l e s s o n : t h e i m p o r - tance of saving, making (a garment) with less, and making it better. The fashion industry will have to pay more respect to the environment and be more attentive to the quali- ty of our clothes as well." I n t h e m o s t p e r i l o u s weeks of COVID-19, Mr. Armani was the first in his f i e l d t o m o v e q u i c k l y toward the direction of real life, turning all of his Italian production plants into sites for making single-use med- ical overalls and isolation gowns for healthcare work- ers. That production con- tinues today even as his creative work, the Giorgio Armani's fashion collec- tions, has restarted. His flagship stores have reopened worldwide with 10 percent of proceeds from sales earmarked for dona- tion to charities operating in their respective cities. When stores, restaurants, b a r s , a n d o t h e r p u b l i c venues reopened in Italy on M a y 1 8 , t h e n o w - i c o n i c giant image by Venetian a r t i s t F r a n c o R i v o l l i showing a female doctor w i t h w i n g s o n h e r b a c k cradling Italy became the subject of a mural in the Brera Design District of Milan. Giorgio Armani's words of encouragement, "To restart safely we still n e e d h e r " ( t h e d o c t o r ) , appear next to the artist's drawing. In the early critical days of the coronavirus outbreak, Mr. Armani donated about $ 2 . 2 m i l l i o n ( 2 m i l l i o n euros) to hospitals in Milan, Bergamo, Piacenza, Rome, and Versilia, as well as to the Italian civil protection agency, which was coordi- n a t i n g t h e c o u n t r y ' s response to the health cri- sis. Weeks later, through ads placed in Italian daily newspapers, he sent a thank you letter to the doctors, nurses, and paramedics, the r e a l h e r o e s i n t h e f i g h t against coronavirus. Giorgio Armani is ringing in the change that is certain to come. It is time to re- experiment again. The pan- demic has been a wakeup call for the fashion industry, showing it needs to reset to a more sustainable model. The sector is responsible for 10 percent of global carbon d i o x i d e e m i s s i o n s e v e r y year. Fashion is currently a metaphorical blank canvas waiting to be drawn upon. It c a n b e f i l l e d w i t h n e w shapes, ideas, and thoughts. At the moment, designers are in the brainstorming phase for their next collec- tions. They felt the pause button and are working on a strategy to reconnect both with their businesses and also with our finite planet, building more well-thought- out and sustainable rela- tionships. E d i t o r - i n - c h i e f o f A m e r i c a n V o g u e A n n a W i n t o u r s a i d t h a t t h e COVID-19 pandemic will change the fashion industry forever. "There's no way we're going back to the way t h i n g s w e r e , " s h e s a i d . Wintour noted that design- ers and brands will need to pivot and have "more of an emphasis on sustain- ability." The "waste" and "excess" will no longer be tolerated. "The virus made brands and consumers realize how fast fashion costs the earth," says Emanuele Farneti, director of Vogue Italia. "We expect new models to express respect and func- tionality, just like what hap- p e n e d a f t e r t h e G r e a t Depression in 1929 or after WWII when women favored practical clothing - they dressed chic but with few frills and Coco Chanel knew something about it. We will buy less and upcycle the clothes we already have. Kate Middleton does that too." I always loved to mix and match my pieces with pieces from my mother's or my grandmother's closets. I believe women will turn more to their mothers' and grandmothers' wardrobes, and not only because of the sentimental connection. The quality of old gar- ments is superb and vin- tage style elements beauti- fully harmonize with a con- temporary expression, a result that has intelligent s o b r i e t y o f f o r m s , n e w nuances of minimalism, and soothing colors. Hopefully, we will buy more consciously. Now that lockdown restrictions have been lifted "we buy some- thing exciting that gives us joy, something durable," says Stefano Fenili, partner of Bain & Company, a con- sultancy firm specialized in fashion. "For sure, every- body is much more cost- conscious. There has been a general impoverishment a n d t h i s i n e v i t a b l y h a s repercussions on shopping." But it is also true that we are better off buying a few q u a l i t y g a r m e n t s t h a n a whole slew of cheap ones. W e w o n ' t n e e d a s m a n y clothes and our life will be simpler. Also the in-store pur - c h a s e e x p e r i e n c e h a s changed. "We are paying m o r e a t t e n t i o n t o t h e hygienic conditions in the s t o r e s , " s a y s M r . F e n i l i . "Being obsessed with sani- tation, we carefully evaluate the health procedures and d e c i d e w h e t h e r t o t r u s t t h e m o r n o t . W e c a n n o t touch garments. Do we feel safe trying on a dress now knowing someone tried it on before? One wonders if that person has been wear- i n g a m a s k a n d g l o v e s . " Hopefully, before too long, we will go back to a more human and more relaxing shopping experience. These days, fashion busi- nesses need a robust online presence. E-commerce is the key to this new chapter. C a m e r a N a z i o n a l e D e l l a M o d a I t a l i a n a , which organizes the Milan Fashion Week, has unveiled plans to merge its women's and men's wear shows into a d i g i t a l f o r m . T h e f i r s t Milano Digital Fashion Week will run from July 14-17 in a virtual event that will include interviews, pod- c a s t s , d e s i g n e r d i a r i e s , webinars, and digital show- rooms. It will welcome both industry insiders and fash- ion consumers. Brands will p r e s e n t t h e i r S p r i n g / Summer 2021 men's collec- t i o n s a n d t h e i r Spring/Summer 2021 men's and women's pre-collec- tions. The event is the initial and collective response to changing scenarios in the industry. The big names and new generation of designers will bond with one another to support the Italian fashion industry in this challenging moment. T h e M i l a n o D i g i t a l F a s h i o n W e e k c a n b e watched live on the digital c h a n n e l s o f C a m e r a N a z i o n a l e D e l l a M o d a Italiana (cameramoda.it; I n s t a g r a m ; T w i t t e r ; Facebook; Linkedin; Weibo; Youtube). A large poster of the famous wall painting by Franco Rivolli, representing a healthcare worker with angel wings cradling Italy, has been exhibited in Via Broletto, Milan, since the 18th of May. Giorgio Armani wanted it there, and completed it with a personal message (Courtesy of Giorgio Armani) Continued from pg 8 LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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