Until September 22: WALTER ALBINI. THE TALENT, THE DESIGNER. Museo del Tessuto (Textile Museum) Via Puccetti 3, Prato. Opening hours: Tuesday – Thursday: 10 am – 3 pm, Friday and Saturday: 10 am to 7 pm, Sunday: 3 –7 pm, Closed Mondays.
Walter Albini, founder of the ‘’total look,’’ Italian prêt-à-porter (ready to wear) fashion and of course, the eponymously named brand, is the subject of Museo del Tessuto’s latest exhibition: Walter Albini. The talent, the designer. Albini is known for his innovative approach to unisex silhouettes and designs in the Italian fashion sphere of the late ‘60s through to the early ‘80s. He drew significant inspiration from the past, queer culture, camp appreciation, extensive travel, a love for India, and above all, his very own exceptional personality. His designs are imbued with all the extravagance and splendour that he himself embodied.
The exhibition is organised into three sections to reflect the chronology of Albini’s development as a designer. The first section, which welcomes the visitors upon their arrival, follows the initial and formative period of Albini’s career from 1959 to 1972. It details his schooling and early experiences as a fashion magazine illustrator, followed by his first collaborations with emerging ready-to-wear companies. This section also offers a first glimpse into the establishment of Albini’s creative language and professional identity, highlighting the preliminary sense of the ‘’total look’’ concept for which he would become renowned. It is also in this section that marks the development of the ‘’made in Italy’’ branding, which Albini championed in a fashion world in which the French once dominated haute couture.
Albini drew inspiration also from the 1920s and 1930s, a period he admired in terms of the revolutionary changes in the political landscape and individuality. His designs reflect an admiration for the glamour and decadence of bygone eras, influenced by American cinema, celebrity culture and his own extravagant lifestyle. From the outset, Albini sought to incorporate elements of revolution and pioneering in his designs,
This appreciation for historical reiteration is concretised in the second section of the exhibition, which features three collections with recurrent motifs of the 1920s to 1940s that permeate this section of his professional development between 1973 and 1975. He often presented his collections on both female and male models, not to mention himself on occasion, the embracing of the masculine silhouette in womenswear provided women with the opportunity to move away from hyper-feminine designs and the eras associated. A cornerstone of Albini’s work is the exploration of sex and gender, themes that were never subject to censorship in his work. Centre of attention and willing to embrace the exuberance of Queer culture and its associated celebration of camp, Albini’s designs were certainly at the forefront of fashion in this period and in turn, his collections prompted a larger cultural conversation on society. He viewed clothing as an opportunity for the individual to express a version of themselves, taking on a different role with every outfit.
The exhibition culminates in the third section, observing Albini’s collaborations with brands and manufacturers, evidencing the final and most defining iteration of the Albini brand from 1978 and 1979. This section includes designs for Trell which, reminiscent of ethnic clothing, featuring geometric cuts and a relaxed approach to buttons and sizing. Travel was a great inspiration to Albini, who admired India above all, incorporating the colours and fabrics he saw there into his designs. This is also the section of the exhibition which contains examples of his stand-alone menswear collection. Inspired by diverse influences, the exhibition displays an array of materials relating to Albini’s work, with sketches, accessories, examples of fabrics, original designs and photographs.
Despite a career of just under 20 years, Walter Albini remains one of the most influential names in Italian fashion, leaving behind an impressive legacy of design and creativity. This exhibition collates a comprehensive portrait of Albini’s creative identity, highlighting how his works were a direct manifestation of his imaginative brilliance, with his personality infusing his creativity in an utterly revolutionary manner. (Lucy Turner)
Reservations for the event can be made at: https://www.museodeltessuto.it/
