Who Gets to Wear What? A look into fashion solely as art
by Jordan Codispoti and Gillie Schmidt-Quee
Sunday March 10th, 2024
The Medieval city of Ferrara has had a long and storied history with the arts. During the reign of the Este Family, the small town was a cultural and religious center, where artistry was highly praised. These historical influences carry into today and allow the medieval city to become home to designer Francesca Liberatore’s hidden gem of an Atelier. Arriving in Ferrara after a short train ride from the station in Bologna, the cobble-stone roads and beautiful orange buildings created a day designated to exploring the evolution and influences of art, despite the rain. Beginning at the Castello Estense, and ending with a fascinating exploration into the world of Liberatore, we are left with insights and continuous questions on who is allowed access to art.
With our study of the Renaissance in Professor Sweeney’s class, it was time to see the historical implications of fashion come to life. From the construction of Castello Estense and works from Palazzo dei Diamanti, the changing notions of rank and beauty during this time were highlighted. Immediately upon entering the castle grounds, the atmosphere showed a clear separation between who was welcomed and drew differences between aesthetic beauty granted to those “worthy” and exclusion as demonstrated through imposing draw-bridges and a filled moat. Inside we were first directed to claustrophobic dungeons, presenting a contrasting look into royal life compared to the airy and artistic experience of the Sforzesco Castle in Milan. The countless prisons created an unignorable line of who was truly allowed to partake in the beauty and decadence of the royal life as embodied by the physical grounds of the upper levels. After ascending many flights cementing the separation between prisoners and the aristocracy – although they were not immune from imprisonment – the experience we were given of the castle completely shifted. We were welcomed to grand rooms filled with beautifully preserved frescos, capturing not only the beauty of life but also asserting important religious themes that dictated families of the time. Following the castle, we ventured down the city streets to Palazzo dei Diamanti, where similar Renaissance themes were reflected in its works. We were able to view the transformation of clothing from intense religious affiliation during the Quattro Centro to a clear dictation of wealth in the 18th century. The differences highlighted between the centuries and between the levels of the castle left us with the imposing question of who was allowed access to art and, therefore, beauty during the Renaissance.
With this question in mind, the Atelier and Creative space of Francesca Liberatore was an experience. Actually, she emphasized the importance of her fashion and her creative pursuits as experiential, valuing her shows at Fashion Week over “normal” production. We began our afternoon at the Atelier perusing the dynamic space, originally a church built in the early 1st century. The artistic charm of the historic space represents Ferrara’s long history with beauty and aligns the city with Francesca’s own family history of art. Her gallery houses both sculptures by her father, Bruno Liberatore, and her designs highlighting their shared creativity. This connection granted her the privilege and opportunity to enter the realm of fashion with open doors and little difficulty (Liberatore 2024). When asked about her values as an artist and designer, she asserted connection above all else: the connection between the designer, the public, and the fashion system. What stood out to us was a lack of “connection” to any larger movements or ideals, issues we have been continuously reminded of in our conversations with other Italian designers. While at times some things may have been lost in translation, the message we received as a team was that Francesca’s designs, although stunning, lacked deeper value. She expressed that her pieces were simply expressions of her personal taste, compared to Marco Rambaldi whose work symbolizes and contributes to progressive movements. Liberatore believes that fashion should not be used for a purpose besides beauty, and devalues obvious and direct messaging in clothing, instead, she aspires to create a “dream” because the world is already full of “reality.” These statements felt like a shock compared to the conversations we had with Andrea Batilla, Belledifaccia and Elisa Manici, and Marco Rambaldi, who all established fashion as an industry that needs to be concerned with larger political and social messaging. Francesca Liberatore, on the other hand, offers a perspective of letting art be art and asserting beauty as a worthy message in and of itself.
The connection between Francesca and her audience is a crucial factor in the experience of her shows. She continuously asserted the importance of her viewer’s understanding of her position as a designer and the inclusivity they felt during her shows. However, her shows allow a very select audience into the experience, barring “normal” people from immersion in her beautiful work. With care for the select population that is deemed accessible, she dismissed others and the importance of issues surrounding the fashion industry. Upon being asked directly what she thought of when she heard the word “feminism” Liberatore responded, “Feminism is a thing of the past” and she tends to lean more towards “empowerment.” After studying postfeminism in our Dickinson Wears Prada class, we know a statement like this heavily aligns itself with the movement. This would rather ignore the differences and therefore difficulties of gender and instead focus on personal intuition, taste, and reality: “If my garment can speak, it can say something, if the woman is wearing it, she can say something.”
Francesca Liberatore brought in a new and blunt perspective on the world of successful high fashion. She clearly designs for an experience that is only available for her exclusive clientele. Looking further into the “dark side” first proposed to us by Andrea Batilla, Francesca expressed that the “dark side” frustrates the creative side. Out of this, she proposed the idea that sustainability within the fashion industry is impossible because with each new company, green-washing, more products produced are inherently unsustainable. In the current market, and her vision for the future, sustainability is just a marketing problem and a way for companies to “hide behind labels.” However, for Francesca sustainability is not the point of fashion, and should not be. She strives to create timeless pieces for a select group, and her fashion is an artistic experience. Ferrara brought a new perspective into our discourse. We continuously saw art as a value in and of itself that has transcended time, sometimes evoking deeper meaning and sometimes just being beautiful. We are left with the question of whether fashion and art HAVE to evoke political messaging, or can be valued only for aesthetic purposes in our polarized society?
