Il filo spezzato

Joint project - IED Milano - Master's Program Fashion Design

Academic year

2023/2024

Ten students honor the memory of Maison Finzi, erased by Nazi-Fascism, through a project inspired by a historic sketch from the fashion house, presented by the Associazione Figli della Shoah and ANPI, with support from the City of Milan and Fondazione Cariplo

Ten students from the Master’s program in Fashion Design from IED Milano brought back to life the final evening gown of Maison Finzi, starting from a sketch dating back to the early 20th century, rediscovered in the Biblioteca Braidense. This initiative revives the story of Milan’s excellence in haute couture: Maison Finzi, a fashion house destroyed by the Nazi-Fascist regime because it was owned by Jewish citizens. Forced to shut down, its owners, brothers Edgardo and Guglielmo Finzi, who fought as a partisan, were later murdered in concentration camps. Guglielmo, known as William, was posthumously awarded the Ambrogino d’Oro in 1972 as a Martyr of Freedom.

Among the 10 interpretations presented, one by each designer, the gown by 24-year-old Silvia Marsano from Garbagnate Milanese was selected to be worn by Elena Buscemi, President of the Milan City Council, during the Civic Merit Awards ceremony.

The gown, crafted from around 10 meters of burgundy taffeta sourced from remnants of a Milanese fabric store, reflects both history and innovation.

“Working on the gown inspired by this final Maison Finzi sketch, I felt a deep sense of responsibility, especially for the history it represents. I started with in-depth research on the fashion house and its era. I focused particularly on the folds of the original gown, which I reinterpreted in pleats. I draped fabric to create rectangular shapes, pleated them with an iron, and placed them on a mannequin to craft a 1920s silhouette,” explained student designer Silvia Marsano. "I believe design has, among its many roles, the responsibility of telling a story and conveying emotion."

The project was conceived by Marta Nava and Guido Lo Pinto, promoted by ANPI and the Associazione Figli della Shoah, with support from Fondazione Cariplo and the City of Milan under the “Milano è Memoria” initiative.

The realization of the project was coordinated by Marina Spadafora, with artistic supervision by Luca Minora and educational and organizational oversight by Maddalena Pesenti.