The Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles pays tribute to the genius of Gianfranco Ferré

By

Chenu Alexis

Published
Jan 26, 2023

From February 8 until May 15, a piece of Italian fashion history will be on display at the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles in the exhibition ‘Gianfranco Ferré. Design Principles’, curated by the Gianfranco Ferré Research Centre at the Politecnico di Milano. 

The exhibition pays tribute to the Italian couturier who died in 2017, former artistic director of Christian Dior from 1989 to 1996, and head of his own fashion house, and explores his approach to fashion design through a selection of drawings and iconic garments, offering visitors an immersive experience enriched by a digital connection with the Ferré archive through images and videos that provide a closer look at the development of the exhibition. 

Intended as a journey through Ferre's vision of fashion design, 'Drawings Wall' explores his drawings through thematic sections and illustrate some of the fundamental principles of design that inspired the creative process of the designer, an alumnus of the Politecnico di Milano, presenting Gianfranco Ferré's personal “methodology." It starts from the body, and continues with the material, the colour, the detail, the volume and finally the movement.

The garments on display address the designer's stylistic research in which the principles of design materialize in the infinite variations of the archetypal white shirt, a true icon of the designer's creative work.

“‘Design Principles’ is the first exhibition since the Research Centre was established at the Politecnico, which made it an opportunity for reflection on the design principles underlying the work of Gianfranco Ferré, so representative of the polytechnic culture and the continuous trend towards harmonizing the culture of technology and science with that of art,” said Paola Bertola, professor of Design at the Politecnico di Milano.

“This exhibition also gives us the opportunity to share some of the very first research experiments that will lead to the development of an ambitious ‘augmented archive’ project over the next three years."

The drawings and shirts on display are part of the designer's archive – recognized as a heritage ‘of particular cultural interest’ by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities – Archive Supervisory Authority for Lombardy - and today part of the Historical Archives at the Politecnico di Milano.

The inauguration will be held on Wednesday, February 8 at 6 p.m., with speeches planned by Silvia Chiave, Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles, Emanuele Amendola, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, and Paola Bertola, professor of Design at the Politecnico di Milano, and Rita Airaghi, Steer Advisor of the Gianfranco Ferré Research Centre.

The introduction will be followed by a panel discussion with Dennita Sewell, professor at Arizona State University's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts – fashion expert and former curator of the exhibitions 'Gianfranco Ferré Designs' and 'The White Shirt According to Me: Gianfranco Ferré', presented in 2016 by the Phoenix Art Museum – and David Paul and Nick Verreos, co-chairs of the Department of Fashion Design, Fashion Design Advanced Study, Film & TV Costume Design at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles.

The Gianfranco Ferré Research Centre, Digital Innovation for Creative and Cultural Industries was established in December 2021 by the Politecnico di Milano following the Ferré family’s donation of the archive and the building of the historic Gianfranco Ferré Foundation.