Armani establishes course to train up-and-coming film talents

Italian fashion label Giorgio Armani is building on its support of emerging filmmakers through a free workshop at the Armani/Silos exhibition space in Milan.

Armani/Laboratorio will kick off next January, allowing aspiring creatives to learn the ropes of eight parts of the filmmaking process. Along with Armani’s Films of City Frames effort in partnership with film schools, this initiative will allow the label to both find and nurture the next talents in cinema.

Fashion on film
Included within the coursework for Armani/Laboratorio will be eight modules. These will cover writing, directing, set design, photography, editing, costume design, makeup artistry and hair styling.

Participants, who will be chosen through a competition, will be taught by experts in the film industry, allowing them to benefit from their instruction as well as hands-on learning.

These eight individuals will be paired with a mentor in their specialty, but all will learn each of the aspects of filmmaking. The end goal of the coursework is to produce a short film that celebrates the Armani aesthetic at the Silos.

Armani Silos exterior. Image credit: Armani

In line with this, interested students will have to submit work along that theme to be considered for the program. The call for submissions opened Aug. 31 and will close Oct. 31.

Supporting the project are actor and director Michele Placido and director Giuseppe Tornatore.

“This new project develops further my support of new-generation talents, which began a few years ago” said Giorgio Armani in a statement. “I like the idea of a workshop that teaches young filmmaking students practical skills, also thanks to the help of friends who will mentor participants in each discipline. Handing down knowledge is essential, and it’s my mission."

Fashion should not be treated as a series of products, but as the presentation of a lifestyle, according to an Armani executive.

At the Condé Nast International Luxury Conference in 2016, Armani global communications director Claudio Calò spoke of how the brand has leveraged the power of cinema to elevate its brand beyond products. Fashion and cinema have had a dialogic relationship for decades, and by leveraging cinematic tools, fashion brands can give themselves and their products a fuller lifestyle (see story).