Learning through Fashion Archives: the case of the Gianfranco Ferré Archive

According to the recent debates about the role of fashion in museums and universities [1], in the 1980s and more specifically in the 1990s [2], the focus on fashion archives’ rethinking between management and research practice has moved from a passive inventory of garments and records to a system of social constructs, to develop a sense of identity and community. Considered a place of knowledge, memory, and power, fashion archives’ ability to represent socio-cultural history through clothing has been recognized alongside the consciousness of the relevance of fashion collections conserved in museums and archives as a barometer of cultural values and expressions. In the last decades, fashion has strengthened its role in modern culture and brands have become finally aware of the potential that heritage and a long-standing tradition have, also for economical purposes. In fact, brand heritage emerges as a concept within the marketing discipline, which suggests that heritage elements may be used as evidence to support claims about the status of a brand or its products, especially concerning concepts such as authenticity or pioneership. In view of this study, the paper will present Gianfranco Ferré Archive’s use and interpretation with a focus on the dissemination of culture linked to the material and non-material heritage of the designer’s production, such as lectures, visits, conferences, specific workshops and support for thesis and personal research. The essay will put special attention to the pedagogical outcomes of using archives as primary research material when studying or designing. Now attached to the Politecnico di Milano, Gianfranco Ferré Archive is more than before devoted to the exploration of a pedagogical interpretation of the archive to empower students and researchers through a multivocal tool that is both theoretical and physical. Moreover, in this case, the functions of the archive perfectly respect and pay homage to the spirit of the designer himself that believed in the potential of dissemination, teaching, and increased use of the heritage, documented in a series of lectures in the book Lessons in Fashion (2009). Inspired by the visionary archive-based study approach of the designer, Gianfranco Ferré Research Centre today combines the conservation of its patrimony with the activation of new training paths capable of transferring and updating the memory of artisanal expertise and techniques that can become a new tool for innovation in the design and technology field.