Polimoda’s Manifattura Campus aims to become a fashion research pole
For the opening of the 2024/2025 Academic Year, Polimoda has unveiled its new Manifattura Campus, based at Florence’s Manifattura Tabacchi.
This section of the international fashion school’s had already started hosting the workshops of the Fashion Design and Fashion Art Direction areas in January 2020 and now sets a further evolution for the Florentine institute’s fashion education mission, which was founded in 1986.
This initiative completes the school’s overall creative ecosystem by positioning fashion at the center of a dialogue with various disciplines as part of the contemporary evolution of the fashion system.
Ferruccio Ferragamo, president, Polimoda, and Massimiliano Giornetti, director, Polimoda, in the presence of the Mayor of Florence, Sara Funaro, among politicians and other authorities, presented the project yesterday.
Together with them, they also further highlighted a collaboration between the school and the industry thanks to contributions from James Ferragamo, chief transformation & sustainability officer and board of directors, Ferragamo Group, and Matteo Ward, CEO and co-founder of WRÅD, among other insiders.
Photo: Agnese Bedini/Melania Dalle Grave/DSL Studio
Manifattura Campus
This single 6,700-sq.-meters location, occupying four levels, also hosting a spectacular panoramic terrace overlooking Florence, is Polimoda’s most innovative site.
In this classic example of post-WWI Italian rationalist architecture built by noted architect Pier Luigi Nervi, about 800 students can explore every aspect of fashion including, for instance, design, accessories, pattern making, prototyping, fashion styling, art direction, fashion photography, communication, and more.
This integrated vision not only fosters comprehensive education but also encourages active collaboration between different disciplines and courses of study, simulating real-world industry dynamics.
Villa Favard, the school’s historic headquarters, is also a vibrant cultural hub for Florence, where fashion interacts with other disciplines. It will continue hosting events and meetings with international figures, enriching not only the students’ educational journey but also the city’s cultural landscape.
Many innovations will enrich the new academic year, as explained by Giornetti. For the 2024/2025 academic year, Polimoda will welcome Walter Van Beirendonck as a mentor for the Master in Fashion Design, and Peter Pilotto, who will teach in our renowned Undergraduate in Fashion Design.
Photo: Agnese Bedini e Melania Dalle Grave DSL Studio
Manifattura Campus
“The fashion institute will also develop new programs, including courses in costume design, fashion filming and photography, men’s tailoring techniques, fashion law, and fashion archive. These programs not only reflect our commitment to innovation, but also our dedication to training future leaders in the fashion industry,” he added.
To mark the opening of the new campus, Massimiliano Giornetti also announced the acquisition of the first pieces for the An/Archive collection, two works by Rick Owens, selected in collaboration with the brand’s team to represent the aesthetic evolution of Owens’ work.
A key component of the An/Archive project will be the Polimoda Library, currently located at Villa Campus. This library is one of the most comprehensive fashion libraries in Europe, housing over 29,000 volumes that include monographs, photography books, specialized magazines, videos, and lookbooks.
Its collection is a highly valuable resource not only available for consulting for students but also for researchers and professionals in the industry.
Photo: Agnese Bedini/Melania Dalle Grave/DSL Studio
Manifattura Campus
“The Polimoda Library has the potential to evolve from an internal resource to an international research center for fashion, paving the way for significant academic collaborations, as already demonstrated in the recent Uzbek-Italian Educational Forum, in which Polimoda participated representing Italy in the field of fashion education,” explained Giornetti.
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