Fashion show, design and photography exhibition

National news, published in: La Nazione, Il Giorno and Il Resto del Carlino on April 14, 2011

Schools: the year-end event and the "Pyramid of Excellence" awards to Fiorucci and Millenotti

Style, fantasy and reality for the Accademia Italiana

Creativity and reality are the key words for the year-end event on Saturday, April 16 that the Accademia Italiana, international school of art, fashion design and photography with campuses in Florence and in Rome of which Vincenzo Giubba is the founder and President, for 27 years. "This year we gave a theme" explained Giubba in the prestigious headquarters in Piazza Pitti in Florence, Not in the sky, not underground, that means wanting to remain with feet planted firmly on the ground which is what we mainly want to communicate to our students and our graduates. Because today more than ever, even in the fashion world it is necessary to arrive at an end and to be concrete.
Here then, on the catwalk for the graduating students of the courses of fashion design and costume design there will be much less high fashion and more contemporary - innovative products, garments and accessories that are more easily receptive to the market needs for a school that draws ever closer to the final buyer.

"Our students, currently over 450, are already doing internships at important fashion houses" continues President Giubba, "with whom we have already sealed agreements. The Rome program in Costume design is doing very well and from September we will increase the course selections there to include Interior and product design as well as Jewelry design, while at our Florence campus in October we will offer a new masters program in Design and Business in collaboration with the LaSalle University in Philadelphia, USA.

Ever more in tune with the theme of concrete reality is the "Tribute to Michelucci" in which the Accademia Italiana will participate with the creations of the design students inspired by the works of the great architect that will be included in the exhibition for the official celebration of this Master organized by the City of Fiesole and the Michelucci Foundation.

As every year, during the event on April 16 at the Saschall theater in Florence the "Pyramid of Excellence" awards will be announced, recipients this year: Elio Fiorucci, creative icon, Maison Mila Shon, the MomoDesign company, the Swarovski industrial group and the internationally famous set and costume designer Maurizio Millenotti.

(Eva Desiderio)

National news: Corriere della Sera, April 15, 2011

At the Saschall Theater

Accademia, the fashion show with Fiorucci

Fashion? That of the Accademia Italiana of Florence has its feet firmly planted in reality, but loses nothing in creativity. Words spoken by Vincenzo Giubba, president of the prestigious school of fashion and design that tomorrow will present at the Saschall theater the year-end event presenting the works of its graduating students.
An appointment that in 27 years of activities of the international institute has become a reference point for young, creative designers and companies in the field. "In the design of the garments for the fashion show (main event of the evening) we wanted to give a precise direction, opting for lines that unite creativity with a concrete reality. Today more than ever dreams must take into account the industrial and market realities to which we try to link ourselves as a school in order to offer valid professional possibilities to those who attend our courses. Stars of the evening were the students with their creations. Of fashion and of design.
The design creations, in fact, offered a preview of another project entitled: "A tribute to Michelucci" inspired by the works of that great architect, explained Giubba, in the year of the official celebrations. Space was also dedicated to the annual awarding of the "Pyramids of Excellence", dedicated by the students of the Accademia Italiana to gurus in the fields of fashion and design who distinguish themselves for innovation and research. Honored together with Elio Fiorucci, icon of creativity, was the Maison Mila Schon, the high-tech industry MomoDesign, the Swarovski group and the Costume designer Maurizio Millenotti.

(by Laura Antonini)

La Nazione April 17, 2011

Those "good kids" at the Accademia Italiana
At Saschal theater year-end fashion show for the students of Vincenzo Giubba

(by Eva Desiderio)

Lots of applause and enthusiasm yesterday at Saschall for the year-end fashion show and the awarding of the "Pyramids of Excellence" of the Accademia Italiana, international school of art, fashion, design and photography that boasts more than 450 students, founded 27 years ago by Vincenzo Giubba who is also president and directed by his wife, Mira Kim. Joy and happiness of the students and of the families for the main goal reached, a diploma, and for the experiences that will arrive as they make that leap into the professional world.
"It is thinking about the future of these kids" explains Vincenzo Giubba, who has opened another campus of the school for Costume design in Rome "I wanted a theme for this edition that would unite creativity to concrete reality in an ever-closer relationship between the designs created by our students and the marketplace and the desires of the clients who today want fashion that represents a dream, but is also a quality product. Mission accomplished with collections that are well thought out and produced, less "alta-moda" with concentration on wearability, without forgetting creativity.

"I'm an old friend of Vincenzo Giubba's and I really love this serious Florentine school that looks outwards at the world." Relates Elio Fiorucci, prolific designer who has gone through all the fashions, and teaches youth about quality and the importance of technical ability. It isn't easy to combine these two, but that is exactly what the Accademia Italiana in Piazza Pitti does so well because what is beautiful is always something that is also very technical, in the form and in the materials." Fiorucci has also pointed attention towards the materials and the great freedom that Lycra and all the elasticized fabrics have given to today's fashion, inspiring the students to continue to present fashion shows like last nights' show "wonderful things". Together with Elio Fiorucci, recipients of the "Pyramid of Excellence" were also Bianca Gervasio, for the Maison Mila Shon, the Costume designer Maurizio Millenotti, Evelyn Swarovski of the Austrian family famous for its crystal products and Eleonora Cattaneo of MomoDesign. Many compliments also from Antonio Franceschini who promised the support of the Can-Federmoda to provide internships for the students, and the Fiesole Councilman for Culture, Paolo Becattini who will host the works of the design students in September in an official tribute to the architect Michelucci.

Il Giornale della Toscana April 17, 2011

Fiorucci and Schon awarded "Pyramid of Excellence"

"Pyramids of Excellence" to Elio Fiorucci and Maison Mila Schon, to the MomoDesign and to the Swarovski industries and to Costume designer Maurizio Millenotti. This award is attributed by the students of the Accademia Italiana, to designers and industries who have distinguished themselves for innovation and research in the areas of fashion and design. The even, entitled "Not in the sky, not underground", was held yesterday evening at Saschall theater in front of 2,000 invited guests coming from all over the world, representing universities and industries. After the inauguration of the design and photography exhibition space was given to the fashion show of the graduating students in the course of Fashion Design. Examples of works from the "Tribute to Michelucci" inspired by the works of the great architect were presented, as a preview to the exhibition organized by the City of Fiesole and the Fondazione Michelucci. "We chose lines that unite creativity and concrete reality" explained the president of the Accademia, Vincenzo Giubba "as today dreams must take into account industrial and market realities." . . .

Il Tirreno April 17, 2011

To the Accademia of Florence

Fiorucci: "Do as I do, stay young inside"

Florence, snowy white beard, sun-bronzed skin, blue cashmere sweater, tennis shoes, bright red and electric green glass frames but most of all an incredible charge of energy. Elio Fiorucci, the icon of made in Italy creativity. You look at him, and discover that he is 76 years old and can't believe it. Talking to him is like talking to a kid. He arrived yesterday morning, early, in Florence, invited by the Accademia Italiana, international fashion and design institute that in 27 years of activities has become a true reference point for young designers and for the design industry.
The occasion was the event "Not in the sky, not underground" at the Saschall theater, a tank full of ideas that included the inauguration of a design and photography exhibition, a tribute to Michelucci that in September will be moved to Fiesole and a fashion show presented by the graduating students of the fashion design program.
Thus Fiorucci (together with the Maison Mila Shon, the high-tech industry MomoDesign, the Swarovski group and the Costume designer Maurizio Millenotti) was awarded the prize that the director of the school, Vincenzo Giubba, calls for "models of creativity for our young students".
"I'm an old friend of the Accademia of Florence" explained Fiorucci, who arrived in Florence with his sister, "and I find the way they deal with fashion here very interesting. To make a fashion school work today is very difficult, you need to transform something fascinating like fashion into something that is also very technical. Most of all you need to get the students to understand that designing fashion is not only creating a pattern, but also understanding the material."
An example is the great potential of Lycra with which Fiorucci created his mythical stretch pants. "The material" says Fiorucci "can lead to incredible innovation in the way we dress, for this reason it must be studied in depth and lots of experimenting must be done. . . "
But what is the great secret of Fiorucci who, from the end of the 1960's onwards continues to dress and enchant generations of teen-agers all over the world? "My magic recipe" he explains "is staying always young inside. On the other hand, inside I still feel like a child. And I don't think it's difficult to do if you cultivate the right values, for example I am an animal lover, a nature lover, an optimist, I live in the country, I'm a bit of a hippy . . . and in the same way my designers are super colored, sexy, happy . . . if you talk about positive values you stay young, the heart of the generations, on the other hand, never grows old."
And while he speaks he shows a catalog of 25 years ago that looks as though it were created today, it is so up to date. Thus the great advise that Fiorucci gives to the young designers is that of "having faith in the world and never falling, for any reason, into pessimism. "Because pessimists are destined to destroy themselves while an optimist will always be capable of recreating himself."

(by Alice Barontini)