Rome: not just a showcase but a platform for talent, with Ensemble, for the city’s schools and studios
Alongside its role as a showcase for big names, on 10 and 11 July the capital is dedicating two evenings to promoting the young talents and fashion houses that keep its haute couture tradition alive
Once upon a time, there was haute couture in Rome. And in a sense, it still is. Not only as a showcase, with fashion houses spoilt for choice when it comes to its venues, but also through the promotion of its schools and ateliers. This project is at the heart of the fourth edition of Ensemble, two evenings of fashion dedicated to catwalk shows by the city’s academies and Roman ateliers, organised for 10 and 11 July by the Department for Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion of Roma Capitale and the Department for Economic Development, Crafts and Industry of the Lazio Region.
The events will take place on the Pincio terrace, following on from previous years’ events at the Campidoglio and Villa Borghese. The two evenings, which are free to attend by invitation only, will begin at 9.00 pm and will be streamed on Roma Capitale’s platforms.
The first day, 10 July, will be dedicated to art academies and the next generation, with the participation of the Frosinone Academy of Fine Arts, the Rome Academy of Fine Arts, the Accademia Italiana, the Accademia Koefia, the Accademia del Lusso, the Maiani Fashion Academy and the National Academy of Tailors. On 11 July, Ensemble will celebrate the excellence of Rome’s fashion houses, with the participation of Franco Ciambella, Giada Curti, Nino Lettieri, Antonio Martino Couture, Michele Miglionico, Sabrina Persechino, Jamal Taslaq and Gian Paolo Zuccarello.
“Promoting new talent and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises are the objectives of this administration,” comments Alessandro Onorato, Councillor for Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion at Roma Capitale. For the fourth year running, through Ensemble, we are giving hundreds of young people studying fashion in Rome – at seven state colleges and private academies – the opportunity to showcase their work free of charge in iconic venues. Following on from Piazza del Campidoglio and Villa Borghese, we have chosen the Pincio terrace for this year’s edition: an unforgettable occasion, demonstrating just how much we believe in education and in young people. Bringing academies together on joint projects, for the benefit of the students, has become a welcome norm; this is how young talent is nurtured. We are also committed to supporting small and medium-sized fashion businesses which, in a world dominated by multinationals, operate in the city within the fields of craftsmanship and design, generating economic benefits and creating jobs: this is the aim of Ensemble, which will see eight Roman designers showcase exclusive collections at the Pincio on 11 July. Rome has regained its central place in the fashion world, and we are proud of this. It is no coincidence, but the result of long-term effort. We are delighted: investment is on the rise, enrolment figures at the academies are growing, and the major fashion shows have returned to the city – from Valentino to Pucci, from Dior to Dolce & Gabbana, from Biagiotti to Fendi, right through to Chanel, which will be here in Rome on 2 December’.
Ahead of the French fashion house’s Métiers d’Art collection show, scheduled for early December, Fendi’s couture collection will be presented in Rome this very evening, marking the Roman brand’s return to this category and the debut in it of creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri: The show is organised by the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, where the exhibition “After a journey of work. Fendi / Karl Lagerfeld 1985’, dedicated to the long-standing relationship between Fendi and the German designer, whose arrival in 1965 marked the brand’s international success.
