Precious fabrics, hand-folded silks, embroidery, cuts, and geometries: haute couture returns to Ca’ Sagredo with designers, artisans, writers, and unique collections
Among the special projects for the 10th anniversary of Venice Fashion Week, the appointment at Palazzo Sagredo is with the haute couture of tailoring houses and master artisans united by the common thread of high craftsmanship, within the monumental spaces of the 5* hotel Palazzo Sagredo.
Dreamlike dresses, spectacular techniques, and ancient gestures: while fashion artisans shared the tailoring secrets used in their sustainable collections, writers and creatives told stories of beauty and life to view fashion from different perspectives.
Fashion as Evolution
Laura Scarpa from Venice Fashion Week presented the debut novel by Monica Re, writer, storyteller, and contemporary marketing expert, winner of the special award for creative writing at the TAOMODA AWARDS, the Oscars of fashion.
- Una Venere Isolata (Ed. Do it human) by Monica Re
With this contemporary fable set in the world of fashion and narrated through the filters of the protagonist’s subtle perceptions, Monica sows the seeds for a new unconventional culture that experiences fashion as a tool for evolution.
The Blue Artisan
The award for the transmission of know-how is a recognition of sustainable artisanal excellence that has succeeded in passing its knowledge down to new generations.
Conceived by Venezia da Vivere, the award was created by Pierpaolo Seguso of Seguso Vetri d’Arte, a Venetian company founded in 1397. It was presented in the Sala della Musica to Master Tailor Franco Puppato, Master of Arts and Crafts and Best Tailor in Italy for Arbiter.
The Ateliers
The haute couture appointment at Palazzo Sagredo showcased masters and designers presenting creations and techniques live, sharing their experience and production processes.
- Atelier 23 by Fosca Parisi
Fosca Parisi is a young Venetian tailor who has created an atelier and creative laboratory specializing in the creation of formal and evening wear. It is the result of a life project for sustainable and tailor-made fashion, where the uniqueness of each creation represents the individuality of the wearer. Precision of cut, preciousness of fabrics, attention to detail, and handcrafted accessories represent the foundations of the designer’s creativity.
- épaule 6419 by Sabrina Favaro and Gaia Casale
épaule 6419 is a Venetian tailoring brand created by Sabrina and Gaia Casale, featuring unique outerwear defined as “Luxury Bijoux” or “shoulder accessories.” These are capes, manteaux, and oversized boleros inspired by the geometry of the circle and its symbolism of perfection and harmony. Hand-finished and meticulously crafted by the maison’s tailors, they possess a feature that makes them even more beautiful: they are created with certified deadstock fabrics with the ReLiveTex® guarantee.
épaule 6419 is a project by Sabrina and her very young daughter Gaia, inspired by the mastery of their grandmother, Philomena Sarti, and the scent of fine fabrics from her tailoring workshop. Today, it is an all-female maison that values artisanal know-how. Research, design, and an unexpected flair: the latest creation from the maison épaule 6419 is the Cappadress.
- (mine de rien) by Francesca Venuti
Silk origami-dresses with unique volumes and geometries. (mine de rien) is the brand of designer and artist Francesca Venuti, who creates her garments using the hand-pleating technique and ancient Florentine artistic skills. Defined cuts and necklines and three-dimensional effects give life to plays of chiaroscuro and enigmatic wavy effects. The evening dresses play with the volumes of drapery, a tribute to the Greek peplos, the dress of goddesses.
- Neris Style by Neris Beniamina Zecchin
“Being a tailor requires two qualities: you must be able to imagine a garment, but it is also necessary to learn the techniques to realize what you have imagined. Theory and practice go hand in hand, and the workshop remains the most suitable place for training.”
Neris Beniamina Zecchin is a master tailor of the Accademia Nazionale dei Sartori and National President of Tailors and Stylists for Confartigianato. The characteristics of her haute couture collections are perfection in cut and impeccable finishing.
- Tabarrificio Veneto by Sandro Zara and CINI Venezia
The visionary Sandro Zara brought the tabarro back into fashion in the 1970s and created the Tabarrificio Veneto, where tabarros are designed, cut, and sewn one by one by skilled artisans. Each garment is made with high-quality natural Italian fabrics and traditional production techniques. Every single tabarro is progressively numbered and branded with its own name.
CINI Venezia is a tailoring dialogue suspended in time: gender-neutral coats inspired by the historical garments of the Cini wool mill, a Venetian company founded nearly two hundred years ago. Only pure materials are used—100% wool and linen sourced from the Veneto region. The style is entrusted to an unusual pairing of three generations: Albano Sandro Zara, born in 1941 (82 years old), and Vittorio Maria Zara, born in 2002 (21 years old).
The soundscape of the event was curated by Enrico Coniglio, a Venetian composer and sound artist.
Aperitif with Prosecco Rosé Lido Canella.
Venice Fashion Week
from October 19 to 28, 2023, in Venice
Venice Fashion Week promotes Venice as a center of production and creativity, an ideal place to live and create.
It is conceived and organized by Venezia da Vivere, an agency specialized in the enhancement and promotion of contemporary craftsmanship. It is held under the patronage of the Municipality of Venice, the Veneto Region, and Homo Faber – Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte, with the collaboration of Vela – Venezia Unica.
Partners: Tavolo Veneto della Moda (Confartigianato, Confindustria, Cna, Confesercenti, and Confcommercio della Moda del Veneto), Associazione Piazza San Marco, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Upskill 4.0, Museo della Calzatura di Villa Foscarini Rossi, IUSVE, Moodart, Bellini by Canella.
Event partners: Venice Cocktail Week, a festival of mixology and culture; Venice Photo Lab, an exhibition of photographers and artists from around the world; ApritiModa, the initiative where historic fashion houses open their spaces to the public throughout Italy; Palazzo Grassi – Punta della Dogana.
Media partner: Illuminem.com, the international platform for climate tech storytelling and ESG data consulting for businesses.
Photos by Marta Formentello, Gianluca Minchillo, Igor Serdyukov, Rossana Viola, and Farid Zarrinabadi.
