Fashion must listen again to regain energy and cultural role

Those who think that fashion is a superficial subject or that it is given too much importance and space in the media or in society in general will find it all too easy to retort. First of all, for our country the textile-fashion-accessory system (Tma) is an economic driver: the supply chain is worth around 100 billion and employs - directly alone - over 600 thousand people. Then there is the image value for Italy in the world: there is no shopping street on the planet that is not studded with Italian names linked to fashion and we are universally recognised (rightly or wrongly, if you want to play devil's advocate) as the custodians of style, not only in clothing. This economic and socio-cultural framework was the starting point for the panel on fashion held at Mudec, and there was not a single empty chair in the room where Silvio Campara, CEO of Golden Goose, and Carlo Mazzoni, founder and editor of the magazine Lampoon and majority shareholder (90%) of the company that publishes it, were guests.

But the reflections immediately went far beyond the dutiful premise, also linked to the journalistic coverage - a unicum in the Italian and European panorama - that Il Sole 24 Ore has been doing for over 30 years of the fashion system, from the manufacturing aspects to the creative ones, from the textile companies to the big brands, the so-called upstream and downstream of the supply chain. "Fashion, and even more so luxury, must go back to observing and listening to the signals coming from the world 'outside' the style offices: not only because every person, of every age, country or education, is a potential customer," said Silvio Campara, CEO of Golden Goose, with his characteristic energy and enthusiasm. "We must listen, with commitment, curiosity and respect, especially because fashion only makes sense if it is a mirror of society and reflects or interprets or, in the best of cases, anticipates needs and desires and, why not, strengths and weaknesses.

Campara recalled how behind the brands, in Italy, there is a chain of SMEs and companies or craft workshops, the value of which must be rediscovered, because they are a wealth of our country and preserve the soul, including the economic soul, of a territory, a theme very dear to the CEO of Golden Goose, a company founded 25 years ago in Marghera, where he recently opened a multifunctional centre dedicated to creativity and the transmission of knowledge.

Carlo Mazzoni also spoke of the rediscovery of the role that fashion can and must play in a globalised world, accelerated and to some extent stunned by the digital revolution: his Lampoon, born 10 years ago, cannot be defined as a 'fashion magazine'. Or rather, it can, but only if you think back to the golden age of magazines dedicated to clothing and accessories: in fact, it could be said that the so-called 'women's' or 'men's' magazines abdicated their role as fashion tellers in images and words well before the advent of social media, at least in part. "I was born and raised in Milan, I live in the same house where my great-grandfather lived, and I am happy and proud of that: I consider the history and past of my family and the city a heritage," Mazzoni said. "At the same time, I believe that fashion, my passion since I was a child, exists as a mirror of the present and a projection into the future. That is why it must be able to change continuously and the only compasses should be the creative force of the stylists and the courage of the artisans and entrepreneurs who choose to make it their job, investing life energy and money. What is also needed, however, is the visionary spirit of managers: this applies to the industry and to some extent to publishing, where paper can continue to be of great value'.

Campara closed the meeting by inviting private investors and banks to believe more in fashion start-ups: 'There are so many ideas and energy, but they must be supported. Maybe not all of them will become successful brands, but they will still sow creativity and positivity in the whole system'.