Milan Fashion Global Summit is one of the most important events of the year. Organized by Class Publishing Group, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, The Wall Street Journal Europe and Bank of America-Merrill Lynch. Where international personalities of the fashion world, manufacturing and finance meet in one location, to deal with different topics whose goal is always to use brainstorming to generate new ideas.
During the 2014 edition, that took place on November 11 in Testori Auditorium, the topic at hand was “Fashion is food, food is fashion”, regarding the relationship between the three Fs, Fashion, Food and Finance.
I interviewed Francesco Ladisa, the previous PR manager at Krizia and now owner of his own communication agency. “The schedule of the day was really rich of contents. The Made in Italy is more and more associated to food thought not as a business plan but as a way to communicate” – he stated.
Patrizio Bertelli, CEO at Prada S.p.A., spoke about how his brand is trying to involve more food in the fashion industry. He said they started 10 years ago applying global visions to fashion and now they are going to do the same also with food showcased at a new restaurant in the Vittorio Emanuele Gallery located in Milan. Thanks to a partnership with the renowned Italian chef Gualtiero Marchesi, they are also planning on flying to Dubai as soon as possible.
Michele Norsa, CEO and chief at Salvatore Ferragamo, claimed that their core business is and will remain on fashion, but food has always been an excellent travel companion in order to identify luxury products. Federico Marchetti, founder and CEO at Yoox Group used a set up table to promote products and people in view of Christmas shopping. He explained that in the Yoox “spot” it’s possible to buy everything just by clicking on the items displayed on the table.
Moreover, Francesco Ladisa gave his opinion on the topic of Fashion and Food. Here is this part of the interview:
- Joanne Finkelstein, French sociologist states in her book “Chic cousin: fashion impact on food” that food is becoming more and more a way to entertain rather than a means of sustenance. Do you agree?
I partially agree with her. Surely in the so-called “social dinners” there is a more particular attention to the appearance rather than to the substance but it is also true that at the present time there is more attention given to what we eat. I agree with Kean Etro, who said during the event “we are what we eat”.
- The fashion world has always been seen as something so far from the culinary one. From the catwalks are always born a lot of debates about models and their excessive thin bodies. Do you think that this approach of fashion to food can change people’s opinion?
Nowadays fashion designers are always very careful not to give the wrong message to their audience. Look at the caterers during the fashion shows. They are full of any kind of food. But it happens that when a designer chooses a model with size 12 many people don’t agree with his choice. These are the contradictions of the fashion system.
- Can food replicate success of global luxury market?
We should not forget that the best affairs, about fashion or something else, have always taken place sat down at the table (he laughs). I believe that these two worlds have always gone at the same speed.
- In May 2015, Milan will hold The World Expo, “Feeding the planet, energy for life”, an international event that is going to show the relationship between food and life spread all over the world and its humanitarian meaning. During the previous Milan Fashion Week, the event “Good food in Good fashion” saw, as every year, the bond between food and fashion as protagonists. How do you think that this union could reach its meaningful expression?
The Expo is going to be a fundamental showcase for Made in Italy brands and its cousins. In this occasion, Italy will have to show its own excellence, so that fashion and food can surely represent the history and the values of our country. “Good food in Good Fashion” has been a preview of what is to be expected from the Expo. The two universes that were apparently far apart, have become the product of debate. There are possible common goals and, in this way, they started to create the right synergies thanks to new commercial and ethic behaviour developed, especially in the last decade, by international businessmen.
by Floriana Lucchesi
