(ANSA) - FLORENCE, 08 FEB - An important anniversary for Italian fashion: 12 February marks 70 years since the first fashion show organized in Florence by Giovan Battista Giorgini in the ballroom of his house in via dei Serragli in Florence, Villa Torrigiani.
To celebrate this anniversary and also the 50th anniversary of Giorgini's death, an international conference was organized, promoted by the Giorgini Archive together with the University of Bologna and in collaboration with the Oma Association (Osservatorio dei Mestieri d'Arte), with lecturers and experts connected from various countries.
The coordination of the meeting will be held right from the ballroom of Villa Torrigiani, where it all began.
At the center of the comparison the export of artistic craftsmanship (which Giorgini had been dealing with since 1923) and the immediate success of Italian fashion whose export, in just one year, went from $ 125,000 in 1950 to $ 1.5 million in 1951.
Not only that, in the decade 50/60 the export of knitwear grew from 364 thousand to over 18 million dollars and the footwear sector went up from 125 thousand dollars to more than 23 million.
He will also talk about the competition with France for the conquest of the American market and about issues that are not yet dealt with by historians, such as the Italian influence in the formation of fashion in Brazil.
Speakers include those by Antonella Mansi, president of the Florence Center for Italian fashion, Luigi Salvadori, president of the CR Firenze Foundation, and Mario Boselli, honorary president of the National Chamber of Italian fashion.
The initiative is the first of a series planned to celebrate two anniversaries, which coincide with the hundredth edition of Pitti Uomo to be held next June.
On that occasion, Giorgini's first biography will be presented and an exhibition will be held.
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