ITAL110

Made in Italy: Italian Fashion Cultures

Milano Fashion Week & Design, 02/2011 | Source: Flickr (Mat's Eye)

In 2022, Italy’s newly-elected right-wing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, re-named a previous trade ministry as the “Ministry for Business and Made in Italy,” thereby invoking an important marker of Italian commercial, group, and cultural identity. Since the end of the WWII, the garment and accessories sector has been traditionally recognized as a pillar within the Made in Italy industries. “Made in Italy: Italian Fashion Cultures” introduces students both to the national history of Italian fashion since the post-WWII period and to its global dimensions through discussing primary texts such as news coverage, films, and literature. The course delineates the dynamics among the country’s fashion capitals (Florence, Rome, and Milan) and the associated textile industry in places like Prato. Particular emphasis is placed on how and why Italian fashion has developed in response to the clothing sector’s exigencies and creative tension with France, the United States, and China.

Through this course, students will have a fuller grasp of what “fashion” means according to the latest critical literature. They will be encouraged to critically reflect upon the Made in Italy cachet as it is articulated discursively in written and visual materials. Students will also learn the many socio-political issues in contemporary Italy that narratives about Italian fashion culturally express and negotiate. The course does not assume student’s prior knowledge of Italy or Italian fashion.

Oral presentations and class debates, as well as a final project (in the format of a critical essay, a short film, a multimedia project, or creative writing), are the main tools of assessment of learning outcomes. Regular attendance in class lecturing and participation in group discussions are essential to developing critical and analytical skills for these assessment activities.


Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Language of instruction: English