90 years of IM: Why FUTURES ARCHIVE in Milan is a must-see fashion exhibition
Anticipating FUTURES ARCHIVE, a Milan fashion exhibition showcasing Istituto Marangoni’s 90 years and nine decades of industry and education
What happens when history refuses to sit still and instead reinvents itself through the eyes of the next generation? FUTURES ARCHIVE is not your typical anniversary retrospective. Opening on 27 September at the brand-new Palazzo Turati campus of Istituto Marangoni Milano, the exhibition is part of the celebrations marking the school’s 90th anniversary and reimagines nine decades of heritage with an experimental, cross-disciplinary twist.
Creative Supervisor Francesco Fioretto and Curator Alessandro Castiglioni guide us on a journey where fashion, art, cinema, and literature collide, offering a vibrant, layered narrative that reflects on the past while boldly advancing into the future. Maze35 sat down with them to uncover the vision, challenges, and unexpected discoveries behind this ambitious project.
Explore 90 Years of Fashion at Istituto Marangoni’s FUTURES ARCHIVE Exhibition in Palazzo Turati
What inspired the creation of this exhibition on the 90 years of Istituto Marangoni?
Francesco Fioretto: The exhibition carries a deliberately oxymoronic title: FUTURES ARCHIVE – in Italian, Archivio Futuro. The oxymoron lies at its very creative core, representing a meeting of polarities, worlds, and seemingly irreconcilable meanings, where the heritage of the past coexists with utopian visions of the future.
Alessandro Castiglioni: It also starts from a fundamental premise: telling history is never a linear process.
When will the exhibition open, and how long will it be accessible to the public?
FF: The exhibition is scheduled to open from September 27 to October 5. After that, it will become an integral part of our new campus and will be permanently accessible during university open days.
What goals did you set for yourselves when designing this exhibition?
FF: Our main intent was to develop a fashion language that could be universally understood without being simplified or trivialised. Contrary to what is sometimes stated with icy approximation, complexity fascinates and seduces. Fashion and costume are complex narratives, filled with plots and interwoven threads; the same applies to the evolution of pedagogy and teaching methods in creative education.
Showcasing Milan’s Fashion Scene Through Nine Decades of Creativity
How were the exhibition spaces organised and divided? What will visitors actually see?
FF: The exhibition path does not follow a rigid chronological order but instead alternates between different project phases and finished works. This approach allows the public to explore both the creative process and the outcomes, providing an immersive experience that narrates the visual and conceptual evolution over the nine decades that form the exhibition’s foundation.
AC: The first exhibition area tells the story of Istituto Marangoni's journey over the past nine decades through texts, moodboards, and photographic projects by stylists and creative directors. The young authors participating in the project are: Oleksandra Artemova, Viviana Buvinic Ruz, Luisa Carvalho, Neža Čeferin, Mattia Marcassa Barbieri, Fabrizio Marchese, Magdalena Marjańska, Alessio Pasqualini, and Valentino Tottoli. The moodboards were created by Alice Molteni. A second exhibition area focuses on fashion design, showcasing nine garments specifically conceived and produced for the occasion. The designers who won the contest, which led to the selection of these looks, are Natalia Calvo, Maresia Cristini, Tatiana Grach, Matilde Gonella, Giorgia Massari, Gabriele Prandini, Beatricia Rotaru, Antonio Rotolo, and Giorgia Sorbillo. The third part of the exhibition is dedicated to Istituto Marangoni’s Archive.
Does the exhibition retrace all 90 years of Istituto Marangoni’s history? Did you choose a narrative thread to connect the different eras?
AC: Italian literature, featuring the voices of various authors, will be one of the unexpected elements intertwining the stories of fashion, art, and cinema that will be displayed, narrated, and reimagined.
FF: Instead of a linear narrative, we developed an interwoven plot made of trends, stylistic movements, and educational developments. A central focus is on the Marangoni Method(s), presented through panels that illustrate not only Italian fashion but also the entire evolution of fashion design as a cultural and design discipline.
Archiving Fashion History: Challenges, Technologies and Discoveries
How will technology and multimedia content be present in the exhibition pathway?
FF: There will not be any direct digital installations. However, we have incorporated advanced technologies such as generative artificial intelligence and 3D design into our creative processes, and these will be documented and explained within the exhibition.
AC: We wanted to give space to a more classical and installation-based aesthetic, emphasising reading and interpretation through a pathway that embraces slowness rather than immediate speed.
What was the process for retrieving and selecting the historical materials to be displayed? Did you encounter any specific obstacles or unexpected discoveries?
AC: Displaying an Archive is always a fascinating task because it raises important questions: How do I tell this story? How do I document it? What do I choose to highlight? History is not just a completed fact; it is reconstructed daily through the narratives we create. That is the real challenge.
FF: It was a complex endeavour that required access to unconventional sources. We drew from the personal archives of professors and alumni, recovering valuable and sometimes previously unseen materials.
Student Designers and Alumni Shaping the Future of Fashion
Are there dedicated spaces to key figures, alumni, or collaborations that have shaped Istituto Marangoni’s history?
AC: The exhibition primarily showcases the work of students who are completing their journey and highlights the projects they developed over the past year.
How do you balance the celebratory aspect with a forward-looking perspective on the school and creativity?
FF: The celebratory element has been deliberately scaled back. Rather than a celebration, the exhibition serves as a cultural and educational reflection. Istituto Marangoni’s 90th anniversary provides an opportunity to explore the nine decades that shaped the fashion system and its pedagogy.
AC: We have approached this from a historical perspective. I don’t think there’s any celebratory aspect, but rather an attestation—possibly an interpretation and a reconstruction of our history.
Inspiring New Generations of Fashion Creatives
What message would you like to share with the new generations of students, designers, and creatives who will visit the exhibition?
FF: Our invitation is to immerse yourselves completely and without fear. Explore every stimulus, every name, and every concept on display, even if it seems unfamiliar. We encourage visitors to “devour” this content and transform it into new nourishment for their own cultural backgrounds, which are the essential foundation for all forms of authentic creativity.
AC: Fashion is an expression of individual thought; it is our desire and subjectivity that makes it possible and builds it. It goes beyond necessity—it embodies form, willpower, and hard work.
What is your favourite “piece” or object within the exhibition, and what makes it special to you?
AC: The exhibition is a grand stage machine, but it is also the sum of many details that can be interpreted in different ways. We would like to refer to it as a heterotopia—that’s what makes it special to us.
Angelo Ruggeri
Journalist and Tutor for Styling, Business and Design Course and Master’s Programmes, Milan