An open discussion between institutions, professionals, teachers and activists to explore how Made in Italy can be revitalised through a new alliance between cultural value, technological innovation and social responsibility.
Today, more than ever, the challenge is to combine traditional craftsmanship and Italian expertise with the logic of systemic design and’circular economy, overcoming the fragmentation between aesthetics and ethics, production and education, industry and citizenship.
The talk by Aurora Magni, within the event Dressing the Future, organised by Italian Design Institute at Cascina Cuccagna in Milan, is divided into three complementary sections — sustainable supply chain, creativity and innovation, ethics and inclusion — to provide an integrated and interdisciplinary vision of the future of Italian fashion.
From traceability and certification of materials to transformation of production processes, From the role of independent research to the drive of new creative generations, each contribution aims to draw up a possible map of the new Made in Italy: more transparent, participatory and aware. From this perspective, sustainability is no longer just a technical parameter or a label of value, but a shared cultural horizon, a language that unites designers, businesses and communities in rethinking the relationship between beauty, economy and responsibility.
A crucial moment of synthesis and discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing the Italian fashion system. Co-founder of Blumine, A lecturer at LIUC – School of Management Engineering and journalist, Aurora Magni brings an eclectic background that combines mediation skills, academic rigour and sensitivity to the dynamics of innovation.
“Re-imagining Made in Italy” It thus becomes a collective gesture — an exercise in listening and joint construction — to restore fashion to its original dimension as a cultural and civic act, capable of generating the future through care, innovation and relationships.
THE INTERVIEW WITH AURORA MAGNI
How can effective dialogue between institutions, businesses and academia be encouraged to support the transformation of the Italian fashion system?
The issue of sustainability has only been on the political and institutional agenda for a few years, thanks in part to the acceleration provided by the Green Deal. I am not surprised that there are delays and setbacks, because we are talking about making radical changes to a complex economic and social system: combining business with CSR, measuring emissions, telling consumers to make their products last instead of buying new ones... it is neither easy nor trivial. This is why those involved must collaborate and listen to the suggestions and criticism coming from the world of scientific research, NGOs, opinion movements, in short, from the so-called stakeholders. In recent years, I have seen research centres and universities put sustainability at the heart of their mission and become interlocutors of the industrial system and institutions on specific issues thanks to their expertise and, above all, their vision of the future. The effectiveness of dialogue depends largely on the ability to address problems in a non-ideological way without losing the ability to look beyond.
How can interdisciplinary education help develop skills suited to the future challenges of fashion?
Allow me a personal digression. My professional training was certainly influenced by the need to cultivate my interest in research and sustainable innovation in the textile industry, which arose mainly during the now distant period when I edited a magazine that dealt with textiles used in contexts other than fashion. However, my ‘environmentalist’ sensibility was influenced by more cultural encounters. The first was with the Club of Rome, whose proceedings I read more recently because I was 13 when The Limits to Growth was published. Beyond the scientific validity of the alarm raised by MIT researchers, the very fact of not taking resources for granted seemed revolutionary to me. The second encounter, which I had when I was very young, was with a science fiction story that imagined life in a village isolated from the rest of the world, whose inhabitants could do nothing but make objects last as long as possible, no longer able to rely on a production system capable of making new ones. In short, I had not read The economics of the coming spaceship Earth (Kenneth Boulding, 1966) but that was the gist of it. Why am I telling you this? Because, while I am well aware that an ecological approach to business models must be based on scientific knowledge and methodological rigour, I believe it is useful to provide those who are preparing to manage the transition to sustainable models with a cultural perspective on the issue that touches their sensibilities. At a time when attitudes that some have called ‘ecological scepticism’ are emerging, it is important that training provides not only methodologies and management techniques (eco-design, supply chain control, certification, etc.) but also the depth of research that is also, and above all, cultural and emotional. Of course, this should be done without falling into ideological dogmatism, but by giving students the awareness and tools to be able to do something that can change their lives for the better, because this issue perhaps affects them more than anything else.
What, in your opinion, are the main opportunities and challenges in combining technological innovation and social responsibility in the fashion industry?
I don't want to sound too blunt, but today we are beyond the level of ‘seizing opportunities’. This was true when green policies were an optional strategy chosen by enlightened companies. Today, it's simpler: if you're not consistent with ESG criteria, you're out of business, out of access to tenders and funding, and you'll struggle to get a bank loan. And it's not just the effect of EU regulations and directives; it's the economic system itself that makes sustainability policies a fundamental condition for reducing risk. It's clear that technological innovation plays a role in this game. We are talking about machines and plants, of course, but also about software and apps that can support companies in managing and reporting on the actions they have taken, predictive systems and, like it or not, AI. The risks? I see one in particular: that a formal, bureaucratic approach to creating a new shared industrial culture will prevail in companies.
What skills do you think young designers should develop — or what “toolbox” should they build — to approach your area of expertise, as a representative of one of the possible sectors and fields of application of their future professions?
This must be the generation of eco-designers, completely new compared to previous ones. I expect the new creatives to be able to win the most difficult challenge: designing beautiful and functional things without sacrificing their aesthetic vision and knowing how to navigate the complicated landscape of sustainability. To do this, it will be important to know how to choose the most sustainable materials and to document choices rigorously so that consumers can access reliable information without greenwashing. New designers will have to work with suppliers to find solutions that reduce the environmental impact of their products and plan for the end of life of the object once it is discarded. In short, I imagine a creative person with a good technical foundation and constant attention to what is happening in the world, because that is where the things they will use to make clothes and accessories come from. I would say a bit of a designer and a bit of an engineer with a strong aptitude for research.
