Venice and art crafts

A great tribute to the unique value of international craftsmanship as well as a precious testimony aimed at leading future generations towards the know-how. Homo Faber, a cultural initiative dedicated to contemporary art crafts, has opened the doors of its second edition in Venice to show —until May 1st— 400 objects made by 350 craftsmen from 30 countries in the world, covering a total of 15 exhibition spaces on 4,000 square meters.

The event, organized by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship —founded in 2016 by Johann Rupert, CEO of the Swiss Richemont, and Franco Cologni, former CEO of Cartier International— will be held at the Giorgio Cini Foundation, on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, in the lagoon’s heart. With the theme «Living Treasures of Europe and Japan», it will tell not only high craftsmanship’s facets and the vision of curators and designers, bringing to the fore luxury fashion houses, but also Japanese mastery and traditions.

«It was worth celebrating the know-how of territories that are often not properly valued. Japan’s history is linked to applied art: craftsmen are named living national treasures, we wanted to honor this tradition,» Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation and Curator of the event, explained to MFF. «Homo Faber was born to give value and visibility to craftsmen’s talent, who create something extraordinary with their expertise. That is why we chose Venice, where art, culture, exchanges and patronage find fertile ground. A unique city in the world, where contemporary art has always been stimulated thanks to the Biennale’s work».

In this regard, Homo Faber will coincide for about ten days with the 59th International Art Exhibition of the Biennale in Venice, starting on April 23. «This may contribute to greater internationality. Covid-19 and war made it difficult to travel, but we still expect up to 40,000 people (against the 62,000 visitors of the first event in 2018, ed.), from Italy and Europe, but also from the US and some from Asia. We regret that we will not be able to have the pieces of Russian and Ukrainian craftsmen».

Behind the initiative there is also a commitment to generational continuity. «It is an edition designed for the younger generations, who often have little visibility on the beauty of the crafts. We want to tell them about it, make them discover that a job is a way to achieve and express themselves, make them fall in love with it,» the Director continued. Giovanni Bazoli, President of the Giorgio Cini Foundation, echoed him: «We have always been a laboratory of humanistic science whose objective is the culture of sustainability. We seek forms of cultural expression for the new generations who undertake this path».

The Homo Faber initiative will also offer visitors the opportunity to discover high craftsmanship in Venice through tailor-made itineraries. A full immersion in the most haute world of fashion and jewelry will then be revealed in the exhibition «Details: Genealogies of Ornament» curated by Judith Clark, bringing to the fore 15 luxury fashion houses. Among the protagonists there will be haute couture creations by Dolce&Gabbana, sculptural ones by Alaïa and velours au sabre by Hermès.

Then there is the ethical line of luxury garments born from the union between Yoox Net-A-Porter (YNAP) Group and The Prince's Foundation: the project was commissioned by Federico Marchetti, Founder of the e-commerce giant now in the orbit of Richemont and President of Prince Charles of England's Task Force on Sustainable Markets Initiative, to «give the new generation of artisans the digital tools to move in an industry in continuous evolution».

«Bellezza in Fiore» is also not to be missed, a collection of vases created by the Venini glassworks and ten flower designers, as well as «Next of Europe», curated by Jean Blanchaert and Stefano Boeri Interiors —which included the work «Conversations Ex Situ», born from the encounter between Jérémy Gobé and five craftswomen from the association La Fabrique Nomade promoted by LVMH— and «Attendere nell’ombrosa quiete» at Piscina Gandini, to discover the staging of the adaptation of Puccini's Madama Butterfly by well-known Director and Playwright Robert Wilson. «Let us work for a more humane future,» Franco Cologni concluded.

Confartigianato: 35,000 companies and 155,000 employees (33%) employed in fashion

Fashion confirms its artisan vocation thanks to its large pool of micro and small enterprises. According to data from Confartigianato Imprese research office, Italy is the leading economy in the fashion sector in the EU: more than 55,000 SMEs are active in the sector with 306,000 employees (65.8% of the total), 13.8% more than the average for manufacturing; in detail, 48% are active in clothing, 29.9% in leather and 22.1% in textiles. On the other hand, there are more than 35,000 artisan companies employing 155,000 workers; these represent more than a third of the entire fashion sector, equal to 33.3%.

Among the main regions where there are more than 5,000 employees in fashion, Umbria, Tuscany and Marche see higher-than-average quotas, followed by Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Lazio, while in the remaining regions —Liguria (73.3%), Valle d'Aosta (70.8%) and Sardinia (67.4%)— two thirds of fashion workers are active in artisan companies. (All rights reserved)