The first edition of the “Fashion Media Studies” summer school of the University of Turin in Città Studi concluded with a positive outcome
The first edition of the “Fashion Media Studies” summer school ended on Sunday 24 September 2023. Fashion, visual culture", organized by the University of Turin and Città Studi Biella, both partners of Spoke 3 - Tourism and Culture Industry, in collaboration with Cittadellarte - Pistoletto Foundation and the Department of Letters, Philosophy, Communication of the University of Bergamo.
Twenty-three participants from different universities (including the University of Bergamo, the University of Milan, the University of Catania, the IULM and of course Unito), students of master's and doctoral courses in different fields, in the four days of the Summer school they followed courses and seminars held by scholars who addressed, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the research directions that affect fashion culture today and its impact on society and visual culture.
“The synergy implemented between the University of Turin and Città Studi, together with the collaboration with the other partners - declares Prof. Giulia Carluccio, Vice-Rector of the University of Turin and curator of the Summer school - has made it possible to create a first edition of very high level which marks a path that we intend to further enrich in the future. In recent days, the most authoritative voices in fashion studies have offered students a broad and detailed overview of the interdisciplinary perspectives useful for understanding the fashion phenomenon, also in dialogue with some fashion communication operators and professionals. Some of the most current key words were called into question in reference to themes such as economic, environmental and social sustainability, without forgetting the importance of the visual and cultural impact of fashion, involving male and female students in very lively debates which have further enriched the experience of the masterclasses”.
“The Summer School highlighted the growing interest in fashion on the part of students, researchers and cultural and economic operators, adds Adriano D'Aloia, Professor of Cinema, photography and television at the University of Bergamo and curator of the summer school. Fashion is a complex phenomenon that mobilizes creative resources, reflects social change, stimulates markets to address current issues such as inclusiveness and sustainability. A strategic synergy between training institutions and the socio-economic fabric of the territory in this area can certainly contribute to enriching the value chain".
The lessons were accompanied by moments of debate with cultural operators and representatives of institutions focused on the relationship between fashion, technologies and sustainable development, a series of debates with authors of recent books on the themes of the Summer school and the presentation of some research projects, including that of Eleonora Chiais, Researcher at the Department of Humanistic Studies of the University of Turin, in the Disciplines of Arts, Music and Entertainment, who talks about her experience thus: “As they approach a working context which, today more than ever, it is multifaceted and competitive, it is important that students are aware of the real usability of their academic education. For this reason, the first edition of the Summer School was the ideal space to present the research "How to communicate sustainable fashion" which, carried out thanks to the agreement stipulated between Città Studi Biella, the Textile and Health Association - Social Enterprise and the University of Turin, proposes a transversal reflection on the field of sustainability in the textile sector, combining a more technical evaluation with an indispensable theoretical examination path. We have chosen to present this study because it represents a good example of the virtuous synergy that can and must be established between universities, businesses and the territory".
Finally, Mauro Ferraresi Associate Professor at the IULM University of Milan, coordinator of the three-year degree course in 'Fashion and Creative Industries' - presented his book "Modamedia. New communication scenarios of the fashion system" making a significant contribution to the event: "Città Studi in Biella is a place nestled at the foot of the mountains and immersed in a truly pleasant panorama. It is a perfect campus for the environment that surrounds it, for the greenery and the services it benefits from and for the tranquility that ensures maximum concentration and attention to teachers and students. The innovative Summer School dedicated to the fashion system took place on this campus. The course was designed to allow the alternation of normal Master lessons with reasoned presentations of books dedicated to the topic and with more technical interventions that focused on the relationship between fashion and digital innovation and between fashion and the circular economy. It was a first year which, I believe, gave a new and important contribution to the diffusion of fashion studies and which I hope can become a regular annual event".