Cittadellarte fashion B.E.S.T

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Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. is an operative workshop which has been committed to the development of sustainability within the textile sector since 2009.
Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. focuses on three essential elements:
  • the productive excellence of the Biellese territory and the world renowned Made in Italy,
  • Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto’s inherent artistic creativity,
  • the commitment towards a transformation of society in a responsible and sustainable way.
Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. gathers in a platform dozens of fashion companies producing sustainable fabrics, yarns and accessories.
Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. realizes collections based on this philosophy with young fashion designers selected in collaboration with Franca Sozzani (historic editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia), coordinates and promotes meetings and public events aimed at sensitizing to a sustainable consumption, takes part in international work groups and organizes seminars and educational programmes.
Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. displays ecosustainable textile materials and products in a permanent exhibition at Cittadellarte.

Here are some of the activities carried out throughout the years.

Please, find below Paolo Naldini’s presentation for his key note speech at the Conference on Sustainable Fashion within the context of High Level Political Forum on Sustainability by United Nations, New York – July 2018.

 

21st March 2014, Palais de Nations, Geneva
FORESTS FOR FASHION – FASHION FOR FORESTS
On the occasion of the International Day of Forests

UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber section and Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto presented:

– Artistic performance Terzo Paradiso by Michelangelo Pistoletto and Cittadellarte, with the collaboration of the Contemporary art centre and the School of art in Geneva

– Conference on sustainable fibres originating from forests and their use in the fashion industry, gathering all the actors from the supply chain

– Fashion show: event and exhibition

With the participation of:

Michael Møller GENERAL DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED NATIONS’ OFFICE IN GENEVA
Maurizio Enrico Luigi Serra AMBASSADOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF ITALY AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Michelangelo Pistoletto ARTIST
Mario Boselli PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN CHAMBER OF FASHION

more info on Forests for Fashion – Fashion for Forests here

19th September 2012, Piazza Duomo, Milan
Michelangelo Pistoletto
The Third Paradise for the Manifesto of Sustainability for Italian Fashion
event curated by Milan’s Chamber of Fashion

 

Official video by Gangvideo | Courtesy of Milan’s Chamber of Fashion

On 19th September 2012, on the occasion of the opening of Milan’s Fashion Week, the artistic performance The Third Paradise, by Michelangelo Pistoletto, is held in Piazza Duomo (more infoon the Third Paradise here).

Michelangelo Pistoletto’s symbol of the Third Paradise is recreated in Piazza Duomo thanks to the collaboration of a thousand students from fashion, art and design schools from Milan.

A special live event meant to facilitate and promote a transformation of society through the spreading of the message/myth of the Third Paradise.

Brief chronology of B.E.S.T.’s main activities/events from 2009:

2014

• 21st March – 15th April: “Forests for Fashion – Fashion for Forests”, Palais de Nations, Geneva.

2012

• 19th September: “The Third Paradise for the Manifesto of Sustainability in Italian Fashion”, Piazza Duomo, Milan.

• 26th May: Michelangelo Pistoletto receives the “Pyramid of excellency” from the young creatives from the Italian Academy of Art, Fashion and Design in Florence.

• 18th May: “Fabric, this wonderful unknown”, Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto.

• 7th– 8th March: The B.E.S.T. platform presents fabrics, yarns and accessories by its partner companies at FILO, Palazzo delle Stelline, Milan.

2011

• March – September: Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. is showcased in the exhibition “Michelangelo Pistoletto: From One to Many – Cittadellarte” at the MAXXI – National Museum of 21st Century Art in Rome.

• May – June: International Congress of Intercolor (an association gathering experts of colour from 13 countries for the colour charts S/S 2013), at Cittadellarte, organized and promoted by Color Coloris and Cittadellarte Fashion.

• July: participation in Pitti Immagine e filati in Florence.

• September: participation in AbitaMi at Fiera Milano, in collaboration with Color Coloris.

• September: Cittadellarte B.E.S.T at Milan Fashion City, as part of the events of the Fashion Week; communication through the paper guide and the portal dedicated to sustainable fashion.

• October: The B.E.S.T. platform presents fabrics, yarns and accessories by its partner companies at FILO, Palazzo delle Stelline, Milan.

• October: Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. and the project New Luxury by Ibada Wadud at UNIDEE 2011’S Open Studio: “New Luxury is a global and continuous project exploring challenges and opportunities of sustainability and innovation in the textile fibre, fabric and fashion industries, with the aim of defining the best practices of social responsibility and integrating them into the identity of luxury brands, and sensitizing the consumer.” (more info here)

2010

• July: Michelangelo Pistoletto presents the project B.E.S.T. and all the companies in its platform at the Maison Valentino, on the occasion of Alta Moda Roma.

• July: Participation of Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. in the steering committee of the project of the United Nations “Unctad” on the biodiversity in the fashion and cosmetic industries.

• September: Presentation of the Capsule Collection at the art gallery Christian Stein in Milan.

• October: International workshop “Food, Shelter & Clothes” at Cittadellarte, with the participation of the partners in the platform, as well as London College of Fashion, The Swedish School of Textiles, Parsons School New York.

2009

• June: 3-day workshop with 11 fashion designers selected by Franca Sozzani and Michelangelo Pistoletto, with the participation of Luca Mercalli, at Cittadellarte in Biella.

• September: Launch of Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T, working conference at Cittadellarte, with Walter Santagata, Paolo Zegna, Franca Sozzani, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Charlotte Casiraghi; presentation of the ecosustainable products of the B.E.S.T. platform and catwalk performance of 11 unique items of clothing.
Leaf through the publication of the event B.E.S.T. 2009.

Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T studios

Studios is the natural progression of the project Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T., which has been promoting and developing research and creativity in the field of ethical and sustainable fashion since 2009.
Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. Studios is a new laboratory of planning, development, production and distribution of ideas within the textile and fashion design industry.
Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. Studios is:
• a new box of ideas, innovative and unique in its kind: where fashion designers can find not only inspirations, but also a production laboratory equipped for a complete realization of their own capsule collection, up to the photographic shooting
• a programme of artist residencies intended for fashion designers
• a space for creatives operating between art, fashion and textile design.
Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. Studios is an incubator and promoter of:
• new imaginaries
• new fashion languages
• new ways of conceiving clothing in all its forms as a potential instrument of communication.
• Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. Studios organizes educational courses for groups of young students, newly graduated, or enthusiasts who can experience an atelier of contemporary fashion engaged in a role of social responsibility through the practice of sustainability.
• Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. Studios offers introductory or specialization courses in fashion photography, fashion styling, fashion and textile design.
The WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:
– guided tours of the partner factories
– meetings with Cittadellarte’s network: journalists, stylists, designers, entrepreneurs, artists
– tailoring and paper modelling courses
– collection planning courses
– introductory courses to sustainable fashion
The participants in the fashion courses will be acknowledged with a certificate from Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. Studios.

INFO: Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T. | Olga Pirazzi – o.pirazzi@cittadellarte.it

 

 

News

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12 January 2023

Michelangelo Pistoletto presents “Arte Povera at Cittadellarte”

December saw the publication of the 37th issue of DocBi's annual bulletin, which this year has a monographic nature and for the second time is dedicated to the theme of collecting. The book "Studi e ricerche sul Biellese" (Studies and researches on the Biellese territory) also features an unpublished contribution by Michelangelo Pistoletto. Here is the text by the Biellese artist on Cittadellarte’s Arte Povera collection.

23 June 2021

When ethics meets fashion: Cittadellarte has hosted a day of conferences dedicated to sustainability

Yesterday, Fondazione Pistoletto hosted two conferences on responsible fashion that started new networking processes between business representatives, fashion designers, lecturers and key figures in the sector: in the morning, "+ Ethics + Fashion" – organised by Accademia Unidee – launched a speculative investigation into the resonance of the fashion system in dealing with the theoretical concepts of sustainability and circularity present in contemporary global culture; in the afternoon, "Circular Threads" – curated by Tondo, Cittadellarte, Associazione Tessile e Salute and Rén – presented the first Italian study on the relationship between textile industry and circular economy.

11 June 2021

Circular Threads, the first italian study on the relationship between textile industry and circular economy is presented at Cittadellarte

On 22nd June, from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm, in the spaces of Fondazione Pistoletto, Tondo, Cittadellarte, the Textile and Health Association and Rén will present the study that will allow to evaluate the level of circularity of the textile sector in Northern Italy. The event will feature national experts and representatives of local historical wool companies and of new organisations aiming at revolutionising the sector.

14 May 2020

A support for restart and growth of the Biellese territory: the launch of Fondazione BIellezza

The initiative, conceived before the outburst of the pandemic, wants to contribute to a significant growth in the activities linked to incoming tourism, which would offer new job and investment opportunities in the area, most importantly to young people. The project has been launched by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Biella, Gruppo Sella and Gruppo Zegna, with the support of Cittadellarte.