Florence celebrates inauguration of the new Istituto Marangoni School of Fashion & Art

The city of Florence celebrated the inauguration of the new Istituto Marangoni School of Fashion & Art under the management of Fabio Siddu this week. The official opening of the new premises, which took place on Wednesday, was marked by a dance and light performance from the Compagnia Cafelule.

The new premises, located at palazzo 17 Via de’ Tornabuoni, spans over 2,900 square meters, including the historic buildings of the Giacomini and Strozzi families which have been renovated to preserve their cultural appeal and outfitted with an innovative, contemporary interior to offer both students and teachers a stimulating educational experience. Within 3 years, the new location will have welcomed over 600 students to the Istituto Marangoni’s bachelor and master programmes.

“Today is an important date for Istituto Marangoni, the official opening of a school designed to offer aesthetic, cultural and historic stimuli at extremely high levels, linked to the worlds of fashion and art, in a unique setting, recognised throughout the world”, commented Roberto Riccio, Group Managing Director of Istituto Marangoni in a statement. “The new address is right in the heart of the cradle of the Rinascimento, Florence, the city that was also the birthplace of some of the greatest masters in Italian haute couture and in a beautiful, highly prestigious palazzo.”

In addition, the Florence School of Fashion & Art will also offer new courses developed around the Florentine area, such as a course in intensive shoe design and arts-led programmes such as a masters in arts management and curatorial management. The Istituto Marangoni has also named contemporary Art-Design artist Simon Ma as its ambassador, who is set to be actively involved in the academic department for the organisation of programmes dedicated to art.

The new school opening in Florence marks the ongoing success of the “Istituto Marangoni method”. Istituto Marangoni currently counts schools in Milan (The Schools of Fashion & Design), London, Paris, Shanghai and Shenzhen, with plans to open additional schools in Mumbai and Miami in 2017.