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The Ferré Foundation becomes a research center

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There is a bit of emotion, in addition to the many applause and smiles, in the ceremony that formalizes the donation by the Ferré family to the Milan Polytechnic of the archive of over 150 thousand documents, including drawings, projects, notes, publications, lessons, photos, magazines, objects that belonged to the designer Gianfranco, as well as three thousand unique pieces of clothes and accessories and the headquarters in via Tortona, designed by Franco Raggi. In this way an important metamorphosis is carried out for the students of the Polytechnic, but also for our country: from the Foundation, the archive will be transformed into a Research Center which aims not only to guarantee its continuity and accessibility, but to develop together with the University a place to promote digital innovation in the creative and cultural industries, coordinated by the Department of Design.

The designer Gianfranco Ferré passed away in 2007 (ph. Arnaldo Castoldi)

We could poetically speak of a “homecoming”: right here, in 1969, he graduated in architecture, so much so that he is defined more as the fashion designer than a mere creator. His poetics was based on postulates that could be interchangeable with those of the construction of an architectural elaborate: elaborate. Simplify. Emphasize. Reduce. Break it down. Recalibrate. “I believe that the sense of concreteness and solidity united and completed by the pleasure of poetry is fundamental: the dress as an object of use has a meaning because it responds to needs and requirements, and is at the same time a vehicle for emotions, an expressive tool, the embodiment of a desire . And again: in this the intelligent respect for tradition and its rules – which give foundation to the passion for research -, for experimentation, for the exploration of matter accomplished thanks to the extraordinary opportunities offered by technology, count very much ». This is how he expressed himself in one of his lessons, as was recalled in a long article written by Rita Airaghi, director of the Ferré Foundation from 2008 until today at the table with the rector of the Polytechnic Ferruccio Resta, the Dean of the School of Design Luisa Collina, the director of the Department of Design Alessandro Deserti and the professor of Design Paola Bertola. The archive, recognized as a heritage of particular cultural interest by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities – Archival Superintendence for Lombardy, becomes part of the Historical Archives system of the Politecnico di Milano, ranging from engineering to architecture.

An image from the Ferré fashion show for the F / W 1988 season

At a factual level, at a time when the fashion system is having to deal with the memory of what it once was, often finding itself in great difficulty because many aesthetic and cultural heritages of even important fashion houses are irretrievably lost, this donation also assumes the relief of an example that should be followed by other industrial and creative realities that have influenced the intricate design of the evolution of our society. «From his way of creating precise algorithms can be obtained. Its constructions, its lines followed mathematical patterns. Precious today for a close dialogue with digital innovations », explains Paola Bertola, the most ardent supporter of the project. Objective: to make the ex alumnus Gianfranco Ferré an emblem of how fashion design becomes part of a language that combines art and technique, mathematics and inspiration, innovation and sartorial tradition. Digital technologies have already been widely applied in the fashion sector, but there is still no integrated approach that can explore the full potential of hybridization between the physical and virtual dimensions, to rethink the use of fashion artifacts also from a perspective of cultural enhancement e augmented storytelling.

An image from the Ferré fashion show, F / W 1992 season

And yet we must not forget that “that fashion is also a dream”: these words of Gianfranco Ferré were remembered by Rita Airaghi. “We have no heirs, we wanted his work to be usable by other people, especially young scholars,” said Alberto Ferré, brother of the designer who died in 2007, and founder of what was born as the Ferré Foundation. «The value of heritage is to resist, grow and look to the future. Preserving means continuing to ensure that thoughts and objects are reborn in new forms », confirmed Ferruccio Resta. From the teacher Paola Bertola, the reassurance that that of the Ferré family is a donation not only addressed to students and professionals, but to the entire community: we’ll see.

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