MILAN - Facing industry pressures, Italy's fashion chamber is reinforcing the very fabric of its identity: artisanal skill. Its new documentary, 'Grand Tour. A Journey Through the Academies of Arts and Crafts,' turns the lens on the ateliers where hands are trained to sustain luxury. For The Lingerie Museum, this initiative resonates deeply; the specialized craft on display is a direct descendant of the meticulous needlework that built intimate apparel.
Several featured houses have foundations in lingerie's history. The segment on Fendi, for instance, gains texture when one recalls the brand began in 1925 as a fur and leather shop, where foundational techniques for structure and drape were honed - principles later vital for corsetry and foundation garments. Valentino's 'Bottega dell'Arte,' spotlighted for couture, operates on the same philosophy as the early 20th-century lingerie ateliers of Paris, where *petites mains* underwent years of apprenticeship to master embroidery and delicate construction.
The film, premiering for a national Made in Italy day, argues that heritage lies not merely in products but in the transfer of knowledge. This is a narrative familiar to lingerie historians, where the evolution from hand-sewn corsets to modern engineering relies on precisely this generational continuity. As these Italian academies open their doors to document the making of a suit or a bag, they echo the once-guarded secrets of lace makers and corsetières, ensuring that the hand's intelligence is not lost to time.
Originally reported by WWD