Their inventiveness and ingenuity, combined with the country’s long tradition of handcraft expertise, excellence in textile manufacturing, and relentless pursuit of quality, helped shape the national spirit of design excellence and the powerful fashion industry of today.

Alongside designs of Elsa Schiaparelli, Sorelle Fontana, Fernanda Gattinoni, Mila Schon, Krizia, Lella Curiel, Laura Biagiotti and Miuccia Prada, we showcased iconic lamp designs from some of Italy’s most prestigious light design brands. Light fixtures by Flos, Foscarini, Artemide and Kartell work as microarchitectures that shine light on each garment.

As if engaged in an imaginary dialogue, fashion and light design came together in a series of installations that together illuminated the country’s unique culture of design excellence.

In its opening exhibition, “Fashion is Female: Lights on Italian Design as Cultural Legacy”, the Italian Cultural Institute in Miami paid tribute to eight Italian female fashion designers who were instrumental in establishing Italy’s legacy of art and craftsmanship in fashion design.

These visionary women designers helped transform the fashion industry from mainly small to medium enterprises in the early post second world war period to today’s major player in the ready-to-wear market.