Unfolding Gianfranco Ferré

The course explores the cultural legacy of one of the influential figures in Italian and international fashion, highlighting the tangible and intangible heritage preserved in the Ferré Archive, which was recognised as a heritage site of “particularly important historical interest” by the Ministry of Culture and the Archival and Bibliographic Superintendency of Lombardy in 2014

A Project Between Research, Culture, and Digital Innovation

The MOOC is part of the HeriTech4Fashion research project, supported by the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR) and coordinated by the Fashion in Process Lab of the Design Department at Politecnico di Milano, in collaboration with the Gianfranco Ferré Research Center. Its goal is to make fashion heritage more accessible through multichannel pathways that intertwine research, scientific culture, and digital technologies.

The CdR.GF Archive represents a unique resource: over 4,000 garments and accessories, 22,000 drawings, 1,000 ephemera, 50,000 photographs, around 200 videos, and a vast periodicals collection of 1,650 volumes. A significant portion of this heritage has already been digitized, amounting to approximately 250,000 records.

The richness of the archive lies not only in the preserved artifacts, but above all in its ability to convey educational, symbolic, and cultural values to the contemporary fashion system. It is not a legacy crystallized in the past, but a dynamic heritage of practices, techniques, languages, and design visions capable of evolving and inspiring new generations of designers.

Through the rereading, recombination, and reinterpretation of this material, the archive takes shape as a living cultural heritage, whose very existence is rooted in the extraordinary legacy of Gianfranco Ferré.

Course structure

The MOOC is divided into three weeks:

• The first week introduces the biography of Gianfranco Ferré and the mission and objectives of the Gianfranco Ferré Research Centre at the Politecnico di Milano, presenting its historical archive.
• The second week consists of seven thematic lessons, each focusing on a key concept from Ferré's work that remains relevant in contemporary fashion theory and criticism. Additionally, thanks to an animated reconstruction of the original slides, you will be able to experience the designer's final lecture, which took place on 14 June 2007 at the Politecnico di Milano's School of Design.
• The third week explores Gianfranco Ferré's six design principles: the body, material, colour, detail, volume, and movement. Selected archive garments will be analysed through interactive 360° images, and their technical documentation and related work sheets will be studied in depth.

Spreading and innovating

Through the Unfolding Gianfranco Ferré project, the Research Centre and HeriTech4Fashion promote the enhancement of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage preserved in the archive by increasing accessibility, improving enjoyment and enabling new forms of storytelling through the use of digital technologies.
The HeriTech4Fashion project reaffirms its commitment to spreading knowledge, promoting training, and fostering connections between diverse audiences and the world of fashion, where tradition and innovation converge.

The Podcast

In the fourth week, the MOOC "Unfolding Gianfranco Ferré" is enriched with the podcast "With Ferré, Projects and Principles in Dialogue", curated by the Gianfranco Ferré Research Center together with Paolo Ferrarini, former host and producer of the podcast Parola Progetto.

In this new format, Gianfranco Ferré’s design principles go beyond the archive through conversations with leading contemporary design professionals. Themes such as body, material, color, detail, volume, and movement are reinterpreted by figures such as Nick Cerioni, Stefania Ricci, Leonardo Sonnoli, Giorgia Lupi, Stefania Ricciardi, and Giulio Iacchetti.

Episodes:

1. With Ferré, Projects and Principles in Dialogue
2. The Body with Nick Cerioni: explores the contemporary body through Gianfranco Ferré’s vision and Nick Cerioni’s perspective, spanning fashion, performance, and global cultural influences.
3. Material with Stefania Ricci: connects her research with Ferragamo’s practical experience in contemporary fashion. The episode also addresses sustainability as a key element in material innovation.
4. Color with Leonardo Sonnoli: examines how Ferré used color as a language to tell stories and convey inspirations. Through the conversation with Leonardo Sonnoli, the episode explores the role of color in communication, culture, and its applications in graphic design, publishing, and design.
5. Detail with Giorgia Lupi: focuses on how small elements are valued in design. From craftsmanship to decorative features, every detail contributes to defining a project’s message and identity. The podcast explores how precision, creativity, and design rigor combine to transform ideas into tangible forms.
6. Volume with Sara Ricciardi: explores the concept of volume in Ferré’s clothing, highlighting his architectural training, the role of materials and colors, and how shapes transform garments into creative, inhabitable three-dimensional spaces.
7. Movement with Giulio Iacchetti: delves into the concept of movement in Gianfranco Ferré’s fashion, exploring both physical and mental aspects. With Giulio Iacchetti, the episode discusses how movement, materials, and design processes drive innovation and reinterpret design archetypes.

The podcast and MOOC are available on the POK platform.

Scientific Coordinator: Federica Vacca
Researchers: Paola Bertola, Ilaria Trame, Angelica Vandi
MOOC Faculty: Rita Airaghi, Emanuela Di Stefano, Ilaria Trame, Federica Vacca, Angelica Vandi