ZEGNA BARUFFA LANE BORGOSESIA  - Pitti Filati, Florence, January 28-30,  2009, STAND I-1-13

A collection of garments created by the European Design Institute of Turin with yarns from the Zegna Baruffa 2010 spring / summer collection is to be shown at the forthcoming Pitti Filati. The designs were developed and created by the third year students of the three year post diploma course in Fashion and Textile Design of the IED of Turin, year 07/08 

   “Attempting to design a jumper without bearing in mind it’s signifier has always seemed very difficult to me, if not impossible. In the contemporary fashion-system there is an ever increasing need to re-establish a cultural level that might feed the need for a higher quality product, with less space left to approximation, and which may once more become a true expression of an authentic “made in Italy” product.  World famous designers (such as Antonio Marras, Giambattista Valli, Vivienne Westwood and Brunello Cucinelli) have often stated that, in very unstable times subject to continuous transformations such as those we are currently living in, tradition offers a wealth of cues from which one may develop every kind of creative idea, so long as they are viewed with the eyes of today.  To this end the collaboration between Zegna Baruffa and the Istituto Europeo del Design of Turin has given me the opportunity to provide students with a direct approach to knitwear and its possibilities, through their “hands on” participation to every stage of production, from the initial project to the final product.   Based on a strictly fully-fashioned structure, the young designers have had the opportunity in my workshop of witnessing the entire production  process starting with hand-weaving using many-eyed punchneedles for every stitch dropping or increasing operation; from tacking, to pressing, and making up on linking machines, to needle finishing of each single article, as a way of understanding and realising the great effort and time required by expert and dedicated personnel to transform into a completed form what is often just a roughly sketched graphic indication.  “Free creativity, yet creativity that is aware and responsible”, on which a large part of the Italian manufacturing future depends:  this is the motto that acts as a leitmotiv throughout my training time with the students.  The outcome of the enthusiasm they have shown towards the course is the work featured in this exhibition of the Zegna Baruffa fabric collection for spring/summer 2010. In order that the work of those who still believe that the marvel of our Craftsmanship may always herald Poetry, Truth and Beauty”. 

Alessandro Meregalli

IED TURIN lecturer

For forty years now the Istituto Europeo di Design has been operating in the field of Education and Research in the areas of Design, Fashion, Visual Arts and Communication.  Today it is a growing International Network that organises three year post-diploma course, refresher courses and permanent training courses, advanced training courses and Graduate Master courses.

The Turin premises, which have been operating here since 1989, offer two three year undergraduate Fashion courses:  Fashion and Textile Design, an educational experience designed to train professionals capable of combining technique and creativity in the production of fashion collections; Jewellery and Accessory Design, a course intended to train professionals in the design and production of gold and precious stone jewellery, bijouterie and accessories.