L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY P erugia, the capital o f U m b r i a , i s a medieval gem of a hill town. Known for its excellent universities, rich architectural history and Umbria Jazz, one of the great music festivals of Europe, it's also nurtured a vibrant sister-city relationship with Seattle for more than three decades. There's another area where Perugia shines: as a center of fashion, particularly in knitwear. Iconic brands such a s L u i s a S p a g n o l i a n d Brunello Cucinelli are col- lected and worn throughout the world. To further promote Umbrian fashion and encour- age the next generation of fashion designers and artists, a new event was launched in 2023 called Umbria Fash- ion. U m b r i a F a s h i o n i s t h e brainchild of Laura Cartoc- ci, a member of the Perugia- Seattle sister city group. Car- t o c c i d e s i g n e d U m b r i a Fashion as a way to integrate local fashion excellence – innovative design, painstak- ing tailoring processes, arti- san production of accessories and footwear — with special- i z e d t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m s i n high schools and universities to help enhance skills and job opportunities for young tal- ented men and women inter- ested in careers in the fashion industry. As a way to honor and pro- mote the sister-city friend- ship, Cartocci gave the event an unusual twist: each year Umbria Fashion will show- case an artist from one of the two sister cities. "The recog- nition of artists from Seattle and Perugia is a beautiful way to further tie our two cities together," said Elisa- betta Valentini, honorary consul of Italy in Seattle. "Both cities are known for their design, talent and cre- ativity. With this event, Laura brings awareness to Umbria's goal of creating high-quality fashion brands based on arti- sanal excellence, particularly in knitwear, and helps men- tor the next generation of fashion, giving visibility to young fashion designers and promoting the Made in Italy concept as a whole." Last year, the event fea- tured Italian artist Edgardo Abbozzo, who died in 2004. Abbozzo had a long and dis- tinguished career as the art director of several top Italian art schools, including the Art Institute of Florence, the Academy of Fine Arts in Car- rara, and the Academy of Art in Perugia. This year, the event hon- ored Seattle artist and sculp- tor Marvin Oliver, a mem- b e r o f t h e Q u i n a u l t a n d I s l e t a - P u e b l o T r i b e s w h o died in 2019. Oliver is known internationally for his influ- e n c e o n N a t i v e A m e r i c a n contemporary fine art. Oliver's ties to Perugia go b a c k s e v e r a l d e c a d e s . I n 2008, his soaring design, Sis- ter Orca, was installed in Perugia's Porto Nova, creat- ing a tangible and creative reminder of the sister-city f r i e n d s h i p . T h e 2 6 - f o o t bronze sculpture depicts a stylized orca fin, decorated with Native designs such as t h e t h u n d e r b i r d a n d t h e s a l m o n , s u r r o u n d e d b y a pool of water. Installed at one of the gateways to the ancient city of Perugia, Sister Orca greets thousands of visitors each year. For more than a century, Umbria has been home to innovative fashion design. O n e o f t h e m o s t i c o n i c brands is that of Luisa Spag- noli, a woman ahead of her time. Spagnoli built not just o n e , b u t t w o , b u s i n e s s empires beginning with a chocolate company called Perugina, which she estab- lished before World War I. Her signature line of Baci Perugina chocolates was a big hit at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. I n 1 9 2 8 , S p a g n o l i launched a second business, where she bred angora rab- bits to produce exceptional y a r n f o r k n i t w e a r . H e r incredible workmanship and s e n s e o f d e s i g n e x p l o d e d onto the world runway, and s o o n L u i s a S p a g n o l i c r e - ations were sought after and worn by top Italian movie stars, including Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. Her fam- ily continues the business today under the direction of Nicoletta Spagnoli. T w o g e n e r a t i o n s l a t e r comes Brunello Cucinelli, w h o m V o g u e M a g a z i n e recently called the "king of cashmere." In 1978, Cucinelli dropped out of engineering s c h o o l , b o r r o w e d s o m e money, and created his own f a s h i o n l a b e l . H e s o o n acquired a reputation for lux- ury cashmere clothing for both men and women. Today Brunello Cucinelli designs are headquartered and pro- d u c e d i n S o l o m e o , a p i c - turesque hamlet about 20 minutes west of Perugia. Other notable designers from the region include Fabi- ana Filippi, Lorena Antoni- azzi and Rocco Ragni. The 2024 Umbria Fashion weekend, held October 19 and 20 in Perugia's historic Sala dei Notari, was jam- packed with fashion shows, p a n e l d i s c u s s i o n s a b o u t design, and a competition open to aspiring student- designers from schools in Perugia and the surrounding c o m m u n i t i e s o f S p o l e t o , Gubbio, and Termi. Artist Rossella Vasta, a long-standing member of the Perugia-Seattle sister city group, spoke about Marvin Oliver's art and the lasting friendship between Perugia and Seattle. Also attending the festivities were Donatella Tesei, former president of the Umbria region, and Mario Valentini, former mayor of Perugia. T o f u r t h e r u n d e r s c o r e Oliver's deep connection to Perugia, the organizers of Umbria Fashion commis- sioned beautiful silk scarfs made in Italy and carrying the artist's unique humming- bird designs, along with sil- ver necklaces and a ceramic plate based on his art. Facili- tating the fabrication of these products were Oliver's wife Brigette, his sister Marylin Bard, artist Monia Romanel- li, a member of the Perugia- Seattle sister city group, and D e r u t a c e r a m i c p r o d u c e r Giorgio Moretti. RITA CIPALLA Umbria Fashion weekend reinforces ties between Seattle and Perugia Umbria Fashion, held in Perugia in October, spotlighted the Seattle-Perugia sister city connection with fashion shows, panel discussions and student competi- tions over two days (Photo: Umbria Fashion) Northwest Native artist Marvin Oliver, honored at the 2024 Umbria Fashion, created Sister Orca in bronze for the city of Perugia as a tangible reminder of the sister city relationship (Photo: Dale Smith)

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