Long before the 1952 fashion show in Palazzo Pitti’s Sala Bianca set the stage for Italy’s global fashion reputation, decades of creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation were already shaping what would become the Made in Italy brand. A new exhibition opening in Florence sheds light on this lesser-known but pivotal era.
Until September 28, the Galleria del Costume at Palazzo Pitti hosts Moda in Luce 1925–1955. Alle origini del Made in Italy, an exhibition curated by journalist Fabiana Giacomotti and organized by Archivio Luce Cinecittà in collaboration with the Uffizi Galleries. Promoted by Italy’s Ministry of Culture, the show traces three key decades of Italian fashion through 50 garments and accessories, as well as rare photographs and vintage film footage—many of which have never been shown before.
The exhibition draws heavily from the vast archives of Archivio Luce, Italy’s historical audiovisual collection. It also features pieces on loan from institutions like Museo Boncompagni Ludovisi and Palazzo Madama, as well as private collections and company archives. Visitors will discover iconic items by long-forgotten fashion houses such as Ventura, Radice, Villa, and Carosa, alongside historic creations by names that still resonate today—Gucci, Ferragamo, and Pucci.
Among the standout pieces are a never-before-exhibited evening bag by Gucci from the late 1920s, Ferragamo’s famous “invisible” sandal from 1947, and some of Emilio Pucci’s earliest designs, labeled simply “Emilio.”
The show also includes a restored version of Sette canne per un vestito, a 1948 fashion-focused documentary by Michelangelo Antonioni, offering a cinematic lens into the era’s aesthetic and social landscape.
Far from being a nostalgic look backward, Moda in Luce explores how fashion reflected—and helped shape—the social, cultural, and economic identity of 20th-century Italy. Through archival video and photography, the garments come alive in their original contexts, showing fashion not only as an artistic expression but also as a document of daily life, aspiration, and change.
Set in Florence, one of the cradles of Italian creativity, the exhibition is a tribute to the enduring spirit of visionaries and artisans whose legacy lives on in today’s global fashion industry.