In Bologna
in 2015 a non-profit organisation was born, committed to cataloguing the past
and to reformulating it in the present and future. Today in the foundation
there are 30,000 drawings on paper and fabric handmade by Italian and foreign
textile designers who report trends from the Italian textile tradition and more
than 5,000 volumes of inspiration. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Sir Alberto
Masotti, Chairman of the Fondazione Fashion Research Italy for FARE INSIEME
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
Hands that
create. Heads that think. Hearts that beat in unison. And today networks that
combine stories, connect the dots, scale the projects. Seamless past and
future. Because the story we are about to tell is linked to the roots of making
- with that idea of craftsmanship that still leads us to excel in the world
today - but at the same time projects us into a tomorrow that looks to the
challenges of environmental sustainability. Past and future, we said before.
And at the centre of focus the individual with his hands, his head, his heart,
his unbeatable strength that defies the times, even today's time that runs. The
story of the Fondazione Fashion Research Italy is all this and much more. We are
face-to-face with one of the places of culture in the Emilia-Romagna district
capable of attracting skills and tourism thanks to important cultural
initiatives. Fashion Research Italy has its roots in the corporate culture
thanks to its founder. «I was chairman of La Perla for fifty years, then in
2008 I sold the company to an American fund and I temporarily moved away from
what was the long experience as an entrepreneur that had soaked me like a
sponge. But I was cultivating a dream. A dream that part of what I had achieved
in work and in life could be returned through a non-profit activity and with
very specific purposes. Among these was that particular attention to the
trajectories of the changes that the artisans should have made over time», says
Sir Alberto Masotti, Chairman of the Fondazione Fashion Research Italy.
Places of
doing and thinking. We are in Bologna, in those converted business spaces. Here
until the 2000s there was the beating heart of La Perla, one of the most iconic
brands of the Made in Italy. The architectural complex was located in the
Roveri area, on the outskirts of Bologna. In 2016 the recovery of the complex
to make it the headquarters of the foundation, thus returning the redevelopment
of the entire area to the city and to its economy. In these spaces of making
those productive miracles were accomplished by that mix of hands, heads, and
hearts. Here, an example of excellence in the industrial and urban regeneration
was born, set in the heart of the Emilian fashion valley that the whole world
envies us. Here every corner is past and future at the same time. There is, for
example, a large entrance vault complete with a clock: a way of evoking the
ancient rhythms of factory work, which are today redesigned under the weight of
flexible, ubiquitous, and agile work. There is an indissoluble bond with the
land: the last of the three buildings follows the structure of the country
barn. Here, over seven thousand square metres – where men and women who were
the main characters of the business passed their time for years – were adapted
with modern technologies that also look at limiting the environmental impact.
Paving has been done with completely recyclable ceramics, which underlines the
link with one of the major Emilia-Romagna productions, and all the buildings
are equipped with home automation system of LED lighting. A virtuous circle of
reuse of resources makes it possible to satisfy the energy needs of the pole,
which is partly guaranteed by a photovoltaic system on the roof. The air
exchange takes place by means of a modern ventilation system with recovery of
thermal energy, with which domestic hot water is produced. Finally, a cistern
for the rainwater allows the irrigation of the green areas. The watermark reads
a narration that safeguards people and the environment.
Sustainable
ideas and actions. Past and future, we said. And memory as a common thread.
This is also the meaning of Tradizione Futura (Future Tradition), the
exhibition set up in the Foundation and dedicated to the Romagna printing between art
and craft. An art that translates into wonderful and unique objects, which are
linked to the tradition of Romagna printers working on canvas and ceramics.
«For us it becomes essential to preserve and promote the Made in Italy
tradition and to raise awareness of companies to rediscover and enhance their
heritage, an element that has often not been fully understood over the years.
Yet identity is also due to having had a history. This is why we must not
neglect the roots. I often say this to textile companies: organise your archive
because it is your identity over time. History is the future», says Masotti.
These archival and exhibition spaces are aimed at the conservation and
dissemination of the Italian textile tradition. «Sustainability becomes central
in this trajectory of change: in this way, we have organised with the companies
of the major Italian districts one of the largest archives of eco-sustainable
fabrics, accessories and packaging on the national scene . Even today we also
collect modern samples that express innovation and attention to the
environment. Today here we host 30,000 drawings on paper and fabric handmade by
Italian and foreign textile designers who report trends from the Italian
textile tradition and more than 5,000 volumes of inspiration. On these themes,
of heritage and of green for the fashion world, we run courses and offer
precise and reliable advice. Today history becomes the future, but that future
cannot ignore environmental challenges. And we are all called to give our
contribution», Masotti points out. Once again being there for real, with
competence and passion, is
what characterises those visionary entrepreneurs who link the past with the
future.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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