Occupying a place of honour at the former barracks of the Guido Reni District, The Secrets of Couture will become a space in Rome to imagine, re-launch and interpret couture from an innovative, contemporary and international viewpoint. The Secrets of Couture, a project based on an idea by Silvia Venturini Fendi, and developed by Altaroma, deals with the important issue of handing down savoir-faire to protect the values of Made in Italy. The secrets of the trade, which otherwise would risk becoming a forgotten heritage, are brought to the attention of next generation designers, thanks to the use of new media.
Starting from Rome, and spreading rapidly throughout the world, the idea is to promote a modern, tangible concept of artisanal and sartorial luxury, with Altaroma as the driving force protecting this precious heritage. To underscore the importance of this contemporary re-imagining of luxury, Altaroma has invited an artist of international repute to showcase his work at the January 2017 event. The artist is the American photographer, Jeff Bark, who is renowned for his iconic editorials published in magazines like Dazed and Confused. His imagery, midway between the fantastic and post-modernist, makes him one of the most representative photographers in the fashion world. His photos, inhabited by mythological creatures, fantastic animals, young Adams and Eves portrayed in dream-like settings, somewhere between urban suburbs and pre-Raphaelite paintings, appear to be the contemporary answer to 16th and 17th Roman painting. Like the first edition of this event, artisanship is described through a series of video installations created especially by Jeff Bark for Rome. Digital technology is used to transform this austere space of industrial architecture into an emotional, dream-like setting; a tribute to the Eternal City and its imagery. A video editorial created by the American artist, with masterful styling by Lana Jay Lackey, will resemble an intense, pulsating oil painting, reminiscent of a Renaissance canvas in motion, where the garments displayed by the couturiers, become the star players of a new story. This exhibition is an opportunity for all young couturiers who wish to seize the opportunity to showcase their creations at the Altaroma event, by offering new ‘narratives’ focusing on experimentation. Hussein Bazaza, Antonio Grimaldi, Krikor Jabotian and Aouadi Paris are the four international couturiers, selected from among the most highly respected Italian and foreign designers of the moment, to interpret the theme and showcase several of their most iconic pieces in Rome. This is a spectacular exhibition, achieved with a series of screenings, frames and videos, introduced amongst the garments displayed, to creating a unique visitor experience
