Learned in Italy. An Approach to Made in Italy Through the Lens of Fashion Education

This paper discusses the notion of “learned in Italy”, in order to reflect on the meaning that fashion education may represent for critically rethinking the culture and history of Italian fashion in the 21st century. Learned in Italy is modelled on the label ‘Made in Italy’, but unlike the latter it has been the object of very little discussion and academic work. The paper suggests a vision of fashion culture not separated from its productive reality, which remains central to the Italian national context of the 21st century. “Learning in Italy” is an invitation to a research journey through the fashion manufacturing districts of Veneto Region. This approach stems from an ongoing research work carried out at the Iuav University of Venice and is an opportunity to reflect on the collaborative dimension of fashion and on the issues of generational turnover and offshoring-reshoring dynamics that are putting at risk the material and immaterial knowledges and skills of the Made in Italy.