FASHION DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGIES

Arianna Sometti has been teaching CAD Patternmaking in both menswear and womenswear courses since 2013. She graduated from the Politecnico di Milano in Fashion Design and Industrial Design and later specialised in Womenswear Patternmaking and Fashion Design at Istituto Secoli. Alongside teaching, she collaborates as a CAD patternmaker with fashion brands operating both in Italy and abroad.

"It is great to teach young people by passing on to them, with passion and enthusiasm, knowledge and skills of the trade. Teaching requires great patience and open-mindedness, but at the same time it can be very satisfying”.

Caterina Di Giacomo is Faculty Operational Director and Professor for Women's wear Patternmaking at Istituto Secoli. She has had a long experience both as freelance and in-company pattern maker. She teaches blocks making, pattern making and size grading for Women's wear. She graduated at Istituto Secoli where she has been teaching since 2008.

"I love teaching and transfer to students my own knowledge and above all the passion for this job. With students we always establish a family relationship useful to know their stories, their dreams and the right motivation that bring them to enroll in our Institute. I think that’s a great added value, together with technique and top level design preparation for that our Institute is recognized worldwide".

Enrica Vallone is lecturer of Fashion Design and Fashion Portfolio and she has been teaching at Istituto Secoli since 2015. She has years of experience as a designer of women's wear and currently works as consultant for some fashion companies.

"Istituto Secoli is a prestigious school of fashion and it is renowned in the industry for teaching how to really “Make Fashion”. For me it is important to teach here and to transfer to the students what I have learned during my in-company experiences.
It is essential to create a relationship with them, to understand their needs and aspirations for better guiding them towards their professional future ".

Gaetano Currò is lecturer of Patternmaking Menswear and Women’s wear. After his graduation at Istituto Secoli, he held several training consulting activities at patternmaker departments of some important fashion brands, like Giorgio Armani. He teaches at our school since 1998.

“The first thing I would like to transfer to our students is the love we have for teaching. Here at Istituto Secoli, besides learning the theoretical techniques, students are involved in practical works that help them breaking down boundaries, even the linguistic ones, and learning how to concretely make fashion”.

Simona Borghesan is a Women’s wear Pattern making teacher. She has worked as a patternmaker and dressmaker in some Italian fashion companies. She graduated from Istituto Secoli where she has been teaching since 2010.

"Studying at Istituto Secoli gives a unique method and precision at work. Here we teach knowledge and skills that enable the student to “make” fashion, from a creative and manufacture point of view. I never thought I'd teach in my life, but what the students give you in exchange for your work is priceless. It is a feeling that is difficult to define, a teacher it becomes a point of reference for a student, a guide ”.

Francesco Baldassarre is a professor of disciplines related to graphic design. Since 2006 he has been working as a freelance as a graphic-illustrator and colorist. In the past he has worked in important realities of the graphic world in the role of photolithist, advertiser and printer. He has been a member of Istituto Secoli since 2019.

"It was a pleasant surprise to move from the world of illustration to fashion. Curiosity and the desire to learn that students transmit to us as teachers every day gives us a healthy enthusiasm that then turns into concrete and stimulating ideas. I find it wonderful to teach by approaching their world. "

Chiara Panfili teaches English, French, Russian and Italian for foreigners.

She provides courses targeted on adult learners, professionals and companies. She also organises preparatory courses for international certifications. She received a Bachelor Degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures and a Master Degree in Translation from the University of Turin. Her dissertation, the first full translation about the Nuremberg Trials from Russian into Italian, was published by Aracne Editrice in 2013. She has been teaching at Istituto Secoli since 2022, where she is in charge of English courses for the Fashion Industry.

“Mastering a foreign language leads to appreciate places, cultures and people who live in those contexts. I love my job for the empathic opportunities it creates and I think passion is crucial if you want to communicate your knowledge naturally and effectively: studying can actually be fun! But we can’t forget that learning is also hard work: work hard, have fun and you will improve!”

Cecilia Cornaggia is a Sociology of Fashion teacher. Graduated in Psychology for Organizations at the Catholic University of Milan in 2017, she is currently a PhD candidate in Sociology, Organizations and Cultures at the same university, where she cooperates with the research Center for the study of Fashion and Cultural Production (ModaCult). She has been teaching at Istituto Secoli since 2022.

“I truly enjoy teaching because it creates room for confrontation. On the one hand, students have the opportunity to deal with the theories that sociology has built up over the centuries, on the other hand I also keep on learning through the students' points of view and theirs questions."

Gian Mario Borney started teaching fashion economics and marketing at Istituto Secoli in 2022. Since the completion of his business studies at Bocconi University with a specialization in International Marketing, his career has always remained focused on the textile, fashion and luxury Industry at an international level. He has alternated significant strategic consulting experiences, teaching positions for important institutions and executive roles for industry leaders. By working for both American and Italian prestigious strategic consulting companies he had the opportunity to contribute to many important projects for leading brands, large groups and retailers. To date, he has a considerable wealth of experiences and knowledge, all integrated into a peculiar global strategic perspective on the macro and micro dynamics of this complex and constantly evolving industry. He is co-author of the book published in July 2021 by Bocconi Press "The Branded Supply Chain" which addresses the innovative issue of sustainability as an opportunity for generating brand value.

"Teaching represents for me a joyful opportunity to share my experiences and perspectives with the talents of the future. My ambition is to help them contextualize the complex transformations taking place in this industry and its markets, trying to transfer them, at the same time, the passion and curiosity still driving me after many years of professional activity."

Claudio Colleoni is a teacher of Innovative Textile Technologies and Materials Sciences and Technologies.

He graduated in Management Engineering with a textile curriculum at the University of Bergamo where he also obtained a PhD, thanks to his thesis work about innovative textile finishes. At the same university he is one of the founders of a Spin-off within which he deals with research and development activities in the chemical and textile sector. Along his professional career he has been actively involved in the drafting, development and management of numerous research projects. He has skills in textile chemistry, finishing and colorimetry on textile materials of natural, artificial and synthetic origin. He is currently a reviewer for several scientific journals, for which he also wrote over 70 articles as an author or co-author. He has been teaching at Istituto Secoli since 2022.

“Teaching means sharing one's knowledge and professional experiences, allowing the students to place small but important bricks along their path. The young people I teach are always very intrigued by the presentation of the new materials and finishes emerging in the textile sector today; their enthusiasm also shines through during the visits organized to top-class companies; these are very important moments for them, because they really have the opportunity to understand and deal with the subject.”

Giordana Taggiasco works as an HR Consultant and Professional Coach (PCC) in companies, universities and management consulting businesses. She graduated in Business Economics at L. Bocconi in Milan and she holds the position of Professor of Business Organization at the same University, within the Leadership Organization and Human Resources Area (SDA Bocconi) and the Department of Management and Technology (Commercial University L. Bocconi). During her professional career she offered her expertise for several and important publications on issues related to the world of Management and Business Organization. She has been teaching at Istituto Secoli since 2005 subjects related to the Business Organization field with regard to the fashion system.

“What makes my teaching job special? Witnessing the birth of a spark in the eyes of those who listen, and watch it as it turns into new ideas and new ways of doing things."

Chiara Recla is a teacher of Womenswear Patternmaking. After graduating in Architecture at Politecnico di Milano, she began her training in the field of fashion by attending a course in NABA and then graduating at Istituto Secoli. After completing her studies, she worked for several years in the tailoring department of the Italian fashion brand Prada, dealing with the realization of garments for the fashion shows, custom orders made by the company for many celebrities and the realization of prototypes (from the first canvas to the fitting of the final garment).  Later she decided to return to Istituto Secoli and devote herself to teaching.

"Working in a school environment that is always evolving and open to new projects reflects my way of being; I am fascinated to be able to pass on to young students the technical skills I have acquired during my studies and my work experience, I am also encouraged to share with them my passion for designing and creating clothes."

Stefanella Sposito, graduated from the School of Fashion and Costume of the NUOVA ACCADEMIA di BELLE ARTI and specialized in Patternmaking for Women's Clothing at the ISTITUTO SECOLI in Milan, in Fabric Design at the ACCADEMIA DI COSTUME E DI MODA in Rome, and in Embroidery Techniques for Haute-Couture at the ECOLE DE BRODERIE D'ART F. LESAGE in Paris, she is currently an adjunct professor of History of Fashion and Design for Bachelor's degree courses at some of the most important universities in Milan.

She has been a tenured teacher at State Professional Institutes with Textile-Clothing Curriculum, as well as head of the Fashion Department at Istituto d'Istruzione Superiore Marelli-Dudovich in Milan. She collaborates with technical magazines to write articles on ancient and contemporary textiles. She is the author of essays and books translated into several languages and distributed internationally. Thanks to her many years of experience in the field of fashion and textiles, she participates in and organizes seminars, conferences and competitions on the subject and is at the forefront as a creator of projects, courses and exhibitions in the sector.

At Istituto Secoli she has been teaching History of Costume since 2022.

"Sometimes all it takes is a word, sometimes an image, to open a world and trigger an association of ideas and thoughts to be cultivated with the precious gift of curiosity."

Angela Madesani is an art historian, independent curator and author of many manuscripts; amongst them are Images of a story. Italian black and white photography from the Rita and Riccardo Marone collection and Art’s intelligence published by Nomos Edizioni, The fluctuating icons and History of Photography published by Bruno Mondadori. She cooperates with the magazine Artribune and since 1997 has been teaching History of photography in IED – Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan. She has curated exhibitions in public and private institutions both Italian and foreign. Notably Utopie quotidiane at P.A.C. in Milan, the first edition of the Festival Europeo della Fotografia in Reggio Emilia and the exhibition Kaléidoskope d’Italie at CAN in Dudelange (Luxembourg) and in Biennale Donna in Ferrara. She is the Teacher of History and Critique of Contemporary Fashion in Istituto Secoli since 2022.

“I’m an art historian. I find it stimulating to exchange opinions with students who are studying fashion related subjects, and who will have a different perspective of what I will teach them.”