ITS Arcademy launches free fashion and craftsmanship course in Trieste

Nowadays, in Italy, specializing in specific sectors of fashion is becoming increasingly difficult. Courses are few, expensive, and hard to access. With craftsmanship at risk, some of the leading luxury brands are increasing their efforts to attract young people to this world. Bottega Veneta, for example, in 2023 inaugurated the Labor et Ingenium Academy, aimed at training 50 young talents each year in the art of craftsmanship. But even this is not enough; there is a need for new initiatives that allow what should be the future of the industry to immerse themselves in this world without any cost, opening the door to everyone. This is where ITS Arcademy and its new proposal come into play: Bottega Artigiana – Tailoring and Accessory Work. From September 29 to December 5, at the foundation’s headquarters in Trieste, a free 260-hour course will take place to explore the artisanal trades of fashion applied to cinema, theater, and performance.

The program is organized in collaboration with FVG Film Commission - PromoTurismoFVG, Il Rossetti - Teatro Stabile del Friuli Venezia Giulia and Teatro Verdi, who will actively take part in the educational program through guided tours and meetings with professionals. Everything is funded by Cinecittà, incorporating the course into the existing project NextGenerationEe – PNRR Mission 1, Component 3, Investment 3.2. There are 16 available spots, and registrations, which opened on June 3, will remain open until July 21. “[…] The collaboration between ITS Arcademy and Cinecittà stems from this deep connection: merging expertise in design and education with the unique experience of cinema trades to generate cultural value and new professions,” states Barbara Franchin, president of Fondazione ITS. The course will include theoretical lessons, specific workshops, and a final project, and students will find themselves facing the real working world, tackling a brief assigned by two of the main Italian theaters or ongoing film productions.

Among the teachers and speakers, several notable names stand out. Among them are Justin Smith, hatmaker for international films such as Maleficent and Star Wars, and Thomasine Barnekow, who has created gloves for the Opéra de Paris, Beyoncé, and the Netflix series Emily in Paris. This series of lessons, which will range from pattern making to restoring archive costumes, is aimed at young people ready to get involved in a dynamic and specialized context. Creativity is essential, but so is technique, and this is what the experts made available by ITS Arcademy intend to provide to those undertaking this journey. To top it all off, there will be a visit to the Carlo Schmidl Theater Museum, guardian of the extraordinary theatrical history of Trieste, a city that has always been favored for both Italian and international productions. Just think of The Godfather Part III by Francis Ford Coppola, The English Patient by Anthony Minghella, and The Best Offer by Giuseppe Tornatore.

To register, just go to the platform www.lucelabcinecitta.it