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Abstract
Design, as discipline and practice, is referred to as the interpretation of contemporary culture, both in its tangible and intangible expressions. The design practice acts as an agent that can detect cultural evolutions, identify their drivers and patterns of change, and then design a possible new cultural environment, which can embed the newly-found meanings and drive the innovation of products and services. Through a literature review, the paper introduces the notions of ‘contemporary cultures’ and ‘culture intensive goods’, investigating the paradigmatic shift from technology- and market-driven innovation to design- and culture-driven innovation. Within this theoretical framework, the paper will focus on fashion, one of the most advanced culture intensive industries, as a peculiar case which has built methodologies and tools to draw innovation trajectories, starting from the reading of socio-cultural and economical contexts. In particular, the paper will discuss how cultural contents are embedded into fashion artefacts, how cultural exchange is becoming part of the relationship between contemporary users and producers and how fashion has become an eminent provider of cultural diversity and authenticity in contemporary markets.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Paola Bertola
Paola Bertola has a PhD in Design and is a Full Professor at Politecnico di Milano, Design department, where she is part of the ‘Design and Innovation Cultures’ research subsection. She is member of the faculty of the School of Design/Politecnico di Milano, where she teaches in the Fashion Design Program (BA & MSc). She directed the Fashion Design programs at Politecnico between 2004 and 2012, contributing to their establishment, and currently coordinates the joint program FIT@Polimi. She is faculty member in the post graduate course MBA, Executive MBA and IM-LUX at MIP – School of Managment Politecnico di Milano and other institutions of higher learning. Visiting Researcher at Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago (2001), She is Scientific Supervisor of the Editorial Committee of the book series Fashion in Process (Pitagora Editore, Bologna). She has been awarded with the Compasso d’oro Prize in 2011 for leading the Research ‘DRM, Design Research Maps’. Her research focuses on creative processes, design management and planning, and design research within design driven companies in ‘culture intensive’ industries, with a specific focus on the fashion sector. She is author of international publications and consultant in didactic and research activities for Italian and foreign institutions and companies.
Federica Vacca
Federica Vacca has a PhD in Design, and is a PostDoc Researcher at Politecnico di Milano, Design department, where she is part of the ‘Design and Innovation Cultures’ research subsection. She is member of the faculty of the School of Design/Politecnico di Milano, where she teaches in the Fashion Design Program (BA). She is faculty member in the post graduate course at the Milan Fashion Institute, MIP and other institutions of higher learning. XXII ADI Compasso d’Oro Nomination – Young Design (2011), Visiting Researcher at FIT – New York (2008) and member of the Editorial Committee of the book series Fashion in Process (Pitagora Editore, Bologna). Her research interests concern handicraft-driven creation processes for the enhancement of local culture knowledge and design-driven innovation in ‘culture intensive’ industries, with a specific focus on the fashion sector. She is expert in the management of creative processes in fashion design, design experience strategies and visual merchandising. She is author of international publications and consultant in didactic and research activities for Italian and foreign institutions and companies.
Chiara Colombi
Chiara Colombi has a PhD in Design and is an Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano, Design department, where she is part of the “Design and Innovation Cultures” research subsection. She is member of the faculty of the School of Design/Politecnico di Milano, where she teaches in the Fashion Design Program (BA). She is faculty member in the post graduate course at the MIP – School of Managment and other institutions of higher learning. Twentieth ADI Compasso d’Oro Award – Young Design (2004), Visiting Researcher at FIT – New York (2007), she is member of the Editorial Committee of the book series Fashion in Process (Pitagora Editore, Bologna). Her research interests concern knowledge creation processes, codification of metadesign research praxis and development of merchandising systems in ‘culture intensive’ industries, with a specific focus on the fashion sector. She is author of international publications and consultant in didactic and research activities for Italian and foreign institutions and companies.
Valeria M. Iannilli
Valeria M. Iannilli is an architect and Assistant Professor at Politecnico di Milano, Design department, where she is part of the ‘Design and Innovation Cultures’ research subsection. She is member of the faculty of the School of Design/Politecnico di Milano, where she teaches in the Fashion Design Program (MSc). She is a faculty member in the post-graduate course at the Milan Fashion Institute and other institutions of higher learning. She is co-director of Master in Interior Design Retail Management (POLIdesign/Innovacom), Scientific Coordinator of the Store Manager e Concept store design (Innovacom/Polidesign) and Scientific Coordinator of the book series Fashion in Process (Pitagora Editore, Bologna). Her research interests concern retail design processes as the expression of the identity of the company to promote the construction of an active dialogue with users' communities. She is expert of management of narrative processes as place of cultural exchange in ‘culture intensive’ industries. She is author of international publications and consultant in didactic and research activities for Italian and foreign institutions and companies.
Matteo Augello
Matteo Augello is a PhD candidate at London College of Fashion, where he is researching Italian fashion curation. His main interests are fashion and popular culture history, an expertise he has built through an extensive activity of dissemination through international conferences, including at Costume Society UK in London and at EAD in Paris. He is currently lecturing at Istituto Marangoni in London and Domus Academy in Milan.