New Era of Italian know-how in fashion: Exploring the (im)possible dialogue of craftsmanship and industry

The growing availability of information about garments and their production processes has helped today's consumers to develop a deeper understanding and heightened sensitivity towards environmental, economic, culture and social sustainability, as well as towards reputational factors such as product and brand recognizability. This has led to a renewed interest by consumers for local artisanal practices to better respond to sustainability issues, product authenticity and personalization-customization practices. Framed within this scenario, this contribution illustrates the evolution of the concept of “know-how” within the Italian fashion system, and it explores the evolving relationship between fashion craftsmanship and industrial production in Italy. Furthermore, starting from the methods and strategies that merge local craftsmanship and industrial efficiency, the work proposes how education could build contemporary fashion design professionals, specifically describing what are the fundamental skills they need to get to incorporate traditional artisanal practices into industrial production. The paper made use of a desk research approach, combining texts about design, fashion cultures and Italian craftsmanship with more contemporary academic papers and industry reports, to align with the evolving fashion panorama and consumer issues.