100 years of Italian Fashion

For the first time in Estonia, the exhibition will feature valuable items from Alexandre Vassiliev’s collection – masterpieces created by Italian designers over the course of a century.

In the twentieth century, Italy won the title of the most stylish country, and today Milan is recognised as a fashion capital alongside Paris, London and New York. The exhibition offers an insight into the changing trends of fashion in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Visitors will be able to follow the story of the birth of modern Italian fashion: the gradual emergence from the shadow of Paris, the return to trendsetting status and the breakthrough of an industry that combines modern business methods with rich traditions and reliance on family ties.

Italy has been the cradle of European fashion since the Renaissance, when silks from Venice, Florence, Genoa and Milan were the most coveted and expensive goods. Even at a time when Paris was the capital of fashion, Italy continued to attract and inspire: young people would embark on the so-called Grand Tour, meaning a journey around continental Europe that included a visit to Italy.

The richness of Italy’s culture, art and history has inspired many artists.

​At the beginning of the twentieth century, textile and leather goods in Italy were produced in small workshops with a strong emphasis on quality and unique techniques. Famous companies such as Gucci, Prada, Trussardi and Fendi started out as leather goods manufacturers in the early decades of the twentieth century, while the great Salvatore Ferragamo (1898-1960) was already making shoes for Hollywood stars in the 1920s. Today, many of the oldest brands are still family-owned which is an atypical but characteristic Italian business practice that reflects the continuity of tradition and respect for the work and achievements of previous generations.