Yahoo Lifestyle Istituto Marangoni Kicks Off 90th Anniversary Celebrations With New Schools — Both Real and Virtual
MILAN — Istituto Marangoni has big plans to celebrate its 90th anniversary this year.
The fashion and design school — which throughout the years has extended its reach to art, beauty and hospitality, while expanding its global physical footprint — on Wednesday shared a series of initiatives that will mark the milestone.
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For one, it will leave both its historic location in Via Verri strategically located a few steps from the Golden Triangle here, and its more recent San Babila outpost. The plan is to merge these two sites mainly dedicated to its fashion courses by moving to Palazzo Turati, a historic building in Milan’s chic Via Meravigli area, starting from October.
In presenting the project, managing director Stefania Valenti underscored that the relocation will allow Istituto Marangoni to accommodate more students in the frescoed yet more functional halls of the building, covering a 96,875-square-foot area. More than 10,764 square feet will be dedicated to laboratories, which will additionally enable the school to introduce new courses, such as one dedicated to knitwear.
A charming colonnade and social areas to encourage networking among students will be also part of the layout, including a 2,153-square-foot cafeteria overlooking the Milan skyline.
Currently under renovation, the neo-Renaissance palazzo will feature an interior concept that will see the involvement of students as well, teased Valenti.
The new Milan campus’ official opening will closely follow the inauguration of Istituto Marangoni’s unit in Riyadh on Aug. 24. As reported, the school last year signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture through its Saudi Fashion Commission arm for the development of a higher training institute in the city. The aim of the deal was to fill the gap of executives who could be employed at international companies expanding in the region, as well as help lead the growth of the local fashion industry.
Classes at the campus will be offered in English, with the main three-year courses offered for areas such as fashion design, fashion management, fashion product, fashion styling and creative direction, in addition to special programs dedicated to interior design and fragrances and cosmetics. Students will have the opportunity to choose whether to complete the program in Riyadh and embark on a six-month internship during their last year or complete studies for a bachelor degree at any international Istituto Marangoni outpost.
Riyadh marks Istituto Marangoni’s 11th school globally, adding to those in Milan, Florence, Paris, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Miami, Dubai and Shenzhen, China. Incidentally, last month Istituto Marangoni also unveiled its new site in Paris’ rue Boissière, in the 16th arrondissement. Valenti proudly underscored the increase in the number of local students at each campus and stressed the need to accommodate students in bigger spaces and teased potential new courses to add to the local offer.
Valenti also unveiled Istituto Marangoni’s 12th outpost — its virtual one. After making strides in digital innovation by launching a metaverse space, enabling students to experiment with advanced tech tools and develop fashion shows powered by AI alongside their physical ones, the company took its commitment a step further by launching Istituto Marangoni 12.
Rather than a virtual integration to its physical classes, this is seen as a separate, virtual-only unit. Hence students can attend through their computers or VR goggles for an even more immersive experience.
Valenti underscored the project has the potential to give access to fashion education to a wider audience, comprising people who live in remote cities, those who can’t afford or don’t want to leave their hometown or students with disabilities, among others.
“I care particularly about this project because it truly speaks of the real vision of Istituto Marangoni, which is to create something innovative that can stimulate young people,” Valenti said. “As trainers, we have to find ways to teach in a way that is also fun and triggers curiosity.”
At the moment, the virtual school has courses only in fashion and design, with the rest of Istituto Marangoni’s offering to be implemented later this year. As for the school tuition, Valenti said it’s “mainly in line with those of our physical schools.”
The launch is in sync with the institution’s goal of creating a bridge between the demands of students eager to work in the industry and companies’ needs, which Istituto Marangoni looks to anticipate by empowering students with new sets of skills and cutting-edge tools.
“We have a mission, which is to bring culture in the companies thanks to our talents, both creative and managerial ones,” Valenti said. “Our students have to make the difference once they step out of here, they have to help companies to make innovation.”
This thinking is also behind Istituto Marangoni’s extension to beauty and hospitality, as Valenti underscored both the demand and gap in trained profiles for these industries. Introduced in 2023, the fragrances and cosmetics course keeps expanding with the support of companies such as Shiseido, L’Oréal and Dolce & Gabbana Beauty, and is gaining prominence as it has been validated and acknowledged by MIUR, Italy’s Ministry of Education, University and Research.
As reported, the school is now gearing up to debut its first two post-graduate master’s degrees in hospitality. Courses in fashion luxury and brand management for hospitality and luxury hospitality and customer experience management are expected to bow this year at the school’s Milan and Paris units, respectively.
Also part of the 2025 agenda and milestone celebrations is the launch of Istituto Marangoni’s archive. The school has been collecting materials from both alumni and staff, ranging from documents and sketches to actual collections and merchandise it already launched in the ’70s. The starting point of the process was the recovery of documents from founder and tailor Giulio Marangoni, including the 1948 first edition of the book on the so-called “Marangoni Method,” detailing pattern cutting techniques that are still at the core of the school’s design training.
Sketches from students of different decades also offer a unique perspective on creativity and the evolution of fashion throughout the years, and will be part of an exhibition Istituto Marangoni plans to stage later this year.
Founded in 1935, Istituto Marangoni has trained more than 45,000 people who are now in the industry, including the likes of Domenico Dolce, Alessandro Sartori, Paula Cademartori, Gilda Ambrosio, Julie de Libran and Nicola Brognano, to name a few.
It is currently controlled by Galileo Global Education Italia, the Italian branch of the international private higher education company GGE, and enrolls an average of 5,000 students from 108 different countries every year. Private schools operating in the fashion, art and design fields under GGE Italia’s umbrella also include Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti — better known as NABA — and Domus Academy.
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