Until April 29, 2022, we are hosting an exhibition of works of art to wear, a project to talk about craftsmanship, sustainability, haute couture, and Venice, made with Tiziano Guardini, the eco-designer who represents sustainable fashion in Italy and who used our fabrics for this project.
The Exhibition “A Dress for Venice”
In the historic spaces of our Tessitura on the Grand Canal in Venice, among original 18th-century looms and Jacquard machinery, from April 11 to 29, 2022 six numbered works of art, bearers of an undisputed value for the present and the future, speak of the 1600 years of history of the Serenissima and its craftsmen who, with their mastery, bring into the future the millennial heritage of Venetian craftsmanship excellence.
In homage to Japan, guest of honor of Homo Faber 2022, six kimonos designed and created by Tiziano Guardini with illustrations by the artist Luigi R. Ciuffreda, tell stories of celebration of Life (with a capital letter) and the connection with nature. Six artworks that tell fairy tales from Eastern and Western traditions including Pinocchio, the Little Mermaid, and the Moon Maiden.
Everything in this project has an immense value: from the sartorial tailoring to the use of fine fabrics from our archive, in which Venice writes the new narrative of fashion, interweaving craftsmanship, sustainability, and contemporary culture.
A Dress for Venice looks to the future by creating the path to “sustainable fashion” where an eco-friendly vision becomes a major asset for the territory and the new generations. Fashion, in this project, finds its role as a powerful vehicle to convey important messages.
This event is a step on the path that will lead Venice to become the World Capital of Sustainability and proposes Venice as a venue for the debate on Sustainable Fashion.
Tiziano Guardini and Rodolfo Bevilacqua
The Bevilacqua fabrics used for the six kimonos
The fabrics chosen to make the kimonos are soft velvets and shiny lampas, while the elegant figures representing the fairy tale characters are made in a patchwork style with a greater variety of fabric types, creating an exciting contrast of textures, shapes, and colors. Here are some of them.
Ardis velvet
For the fairy tales of “Pinocchio” and “The Flower-blooming Old Man”, Ardis velvet was chosen as the main fabric, with a rich 16th-century Renaissance design depicting a pomegranate motif. The representation of this fruit, a symbol of fertility and immortality, had great fame during the Renaissance because it was associated with prestige and wealth. As in this velvet, pomegranate is also paired with pine cones, thistle, and lotus flowers.
Radica Velvet
Radica velvet was chosen to make the kimonos of “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Tanabata – Evening of the Seventh” fairytales. This fabric has an unusual abstract pattern giving optical illusions that recall the twisted knots naturally formed by the roots of some trees.
Tulipani Lampas
For the kimono of “The Little Mermaid” and “The Maiden of the Moon” and the, the main fabric used is a magnificent lampas with a silky sheen enriched by metallic gleams: the Tulipani lampas. Its design, in Art Nouveau style, represents opulent tulip corollas surrounded by sinuous twists of leaves in a very elegant composition.
The Protagonists
Tiziano Guardini, the eco-designer winner of the first Green Carpet Fashion Award, is defined by the press as the designer of nature. Awarded by Livia Firth at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards 2017 and selected by Vogue in The Next Green Talents, he states that “Eco-sustainability is the ability to perceive the sacredness of life”.
Homo Faber, this year in its second edition dedicated to Europe and Japan, is an innovative cultural initiative dedicated to contemporary art crafts. An international exhibition that highlights the role of craftsmanship in the creation of a sustainable and inclusive future and celebrates the “living treasures” of craftsmanship from April 10 to May 1, 2022, showcasing materials, techniques, and skills at the Giorgio Cini Foundation on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Taken together, the exhibitions showcase a wide range of materials and skills, from endangered traditional crafts to cutting-edge contemporary techniques. The event supports talented artisans, their valuable savoir-faire, unique stories, and territorial influences that enrich their masterpieces. Some exhibitions invite visitors to meet the artisans and share moments with them as they work, while others bring the craft to life through inspiring settings. Beyond the walls of the Giorgio Cini Foundation, the Homo Faber in Città project allows visitors to discover a secret Venice, exploring the craftsmanship of excellence that lurks among the city’s canals, with exclusive visits to workshops and ateliers of Venetian artisans, as well as to our lab in Santa Croce.
A Dress for Venice, part of the official program of Homo Faber In Città, is a project of Venezia da Vivere, the Venetian reality that promotes Venice as a productive and innovative city, an ideal place to live, work and create projects. Together with Tiziano Guardini and our Tessitura Luigi Bevilacqua – the only textile factory operating in Venice – it has actively involved the Tavolo Veneto della Moda (Confartigianato, CNA, Confindustria, Confcommercio, and Confesercenti of Veneto) and some of their member companies of excellence, institutions, universities and professional schools of manufacturing.
“A Dress for Venice” Exhibition
11 – 29 April 2022 | Tessitura Luigi Bevilacqua, Venice
Visiting days are Tuesday and Wednesday (3:30PM – 4:30PM upon reservation)
Image Gallery
Photo credit: Luigi Ciuffreda, Settimo Cannatella, Marta Formentello for Venezia da Vivere
