L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 I talian fashion is ele- gance, creativity, and high quality, and it is a l s o t h e c e l e b r a t e d names who have given this industry its soul and its signature, a "fingerprint" that, b y d e f i n i t i o n , i s u n i q u e . Armani, Valentino, Versace, D o l c e & G a b b a n a , P r a d a , G u c c i , F e n d i , F e r r a g a m o , Cucinelli – just to name a few – make Italy proudly inim- The unique, unmistakable fingerprint of Italian fashion From the Editor itable. The country boasts a long roster of brands that go far beyond making clothes and accessories. Their collections show artisanal know-how and embody "Made in Italy" as a label grounded in cultural heritage, tailoring tradition, and creativity rooted in history and in love of beauty. Every gar- ment is the outcome of a meticulous production process that bets on quality and originality, first and foremost. The sector's numbers are, indeed, striking: in 2022, the Italian fashion market generated more than $106.5 billion (€90 billion). In 2023 it rose to over $120.7 billion (€102 bil- lion), up 4.1% year on year. International crises and tariffs are weighing on the most recent results, but it is worth remembering how widespread this economy is: roughly 60,000 companies and 600,000 workers. In other words, it's not just about a beautiful dress or the perfect pair of shoes; it is a highly skilled, structured system, detailed and spread across the country, that becomes visible in Milan, one of the world's four fashion capitals, when it hosts Fashion Week, and designers, influencers, and enthusiasts from every cor- ner of the globe reach the city. It also comes to life when col- lections walk the runways of Rome and Florence at spectacu- lar events that celebrate Italy's landscapes as well as the m a i s o n s ' c r e a t i o n s , w h i l e s e r v i n g a s k e y n e t w o r k i n g moments for industry professionals and for the broader Sis- tema Italia. "Made in Italy," then, plays a crucial role because con- sumers worldwide associate this label with high quality, sophisticated design, and with an artisanal tradition that few other countries can claim. It is no accident that Italy is one of the world's leading exporters of fashion goods, with strong sales in major destinations from the United States to Ger- many, from France to Japan. Let's step back for a moment to revisit a point that makes clear how the value of fashion is not merely economic but fundamentally cultural; let's return to Walter Albini. Born in Busto Arsizio on March 3, 1941, he is considered the father of Italian designers; at seventeen he began working as a haute- couture runway illustrator for several magazines. Work first took him to Rome, and soon after to Paris, where he met Coco Chanel, a life-changing encounter. By the late 1960s, Albini had become the rising star of Italian fashion, holding creative direction for five different brands. In Milan, he unveiled his groundbreaking "unitary collection:" for the first time, Italian fashion saw a cohesive prêt-à-porter line, with 200 looks produced by four different companies. This marked a considerable shift because, until then, fash- ion essentially meant haute couture, something not accessi- ble to many. Albini had the idea to merge fashion and indus- try, laying the foundation for what would become, in the 1980s, the global strength of "Made in Italy," the country's strongest brand. He also became the spiritual father of Milan Fashion Week and of the very idea of presenting a collection through what we now call "storytelling" and "brand image," where everything contributes to shaping a recognizable iden- tity tied to a designer's name, a signature, or a creative world. It is this multifaceted vision that makes fashion today a broad cultural ecosystem, nourished by influences and encounters, open to trends and transformations, never solely a manufacturing sector or an isolated domain. Fashion moves, blends, and reshapes itself, carrying into everyday life not only the aesthetic and artistic legacy of the runway spec- tacle – always designed to catch the eye and spark conversa- tion – but also the social and cultural revolutions that Albi- ni's "unisex" style had already foreshadowed half a century ago. Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italianaall'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano Please send correspondence to P.O. Box 40156 Pasadena CA 91114 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian news- paper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Nittoli SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTOR Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Matt Walker, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Paula Reynolds, Teresa Di Fresco Nicoletta Curradi, Generoso D'Agnese, Jessica S. Levy, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Chuck Pecoraro, Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio, Luca Signorini, Giulia Franceschini © 2025 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano P.O. Box 40156 Pasadena CA 91114 P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003

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