Naples to Paris: Kiton’s Tailoring School Paves a New Path for Craft Education
The exhibition, curated by Luca Stoppini, transforms the institute's classical spaces into a working atelier, demonstrating how traditional craft education adapts to the future of luxury.
Over its 25-year history, Kiton's Scuola di Alta Sartoria in Naples has graduated more than 200 master tailors, each completing an intensive three-year program that merges centuries-old techniques with contemporary luxury demands. Each cohort graduates 25 young tailors, ready to enter the workforce. Visitors can witness current students from the 2022-2025 class—the school's ninth cohort—working alongside master tailors, offering rare insight into the preservation of artisanal excellence.
The Parisian setting created meaningful resonance, as the exhibition coincided with Haute Couture Week. Supported by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, the program bridges French and Italian craft traditions through guided visits to institutions like ESMOD Fashion Design and the Institut Français de la Mode, establishing a dialogue between Europe's leading fashion education centers.
Luca Stoppini's "1300 Mani" photographic series provided striking context, documenting the artisans of Kiton's Naples workshop. These portraits, which testify to the "hand-made" production that is crucial to Kiton's DNA, capture the human element behind luxury craftsmanship. First shown at the brand's Milan flagship opening in 2013, these portraits display the hands that have shaped the house's reputation for excellence. The exhibition reconstructed a room of the Tailoring School within the institute's classical spaces, showcasing how traditional craft education adapts to the future of luxury.
"In the fashion sector, there is a very strong demand for highly skilled craftworkers, and we consider this to be a particularly significant issue with plenty of room for development," says Carla Morogallo, Director General of Triennale Milano. "To be able to bring such an essential element as Italian craftsmanship to one of the European fashion capitals is a source of pride for an institution that has for many years highlighted the importance of sharing ideas and expertise and collaborating with international institutions."
Antonio De Matteis, CEO of Kiton, reflects on the school's mission: "Since 2000, Kiton has been promoting training for excellence through its Tailoring School, a project that was initiated by our founder Ciro Paone to pass on the art of tailoring to young people and to offer them concrete professional opportunities."
Stefano Boeri, President of Triennale Milano, positions the exhibition within broader cultural conversations about craft preservation, "We are well aware that every project, if done well, can teach us something and inspire new visions: that is why Triennale emphasizes developing effective training courses, that provide an example that can also be followed in other countries."
The exhibition ran through January 25, marking a significant moment in the ongoing dialogue between cultural heritage and contemporary fashion education. This initiative emerged from Triennale Milano's fashion department, developed under Marco Sammicheli, Director of the Triennale Milano Design Museum, furthering the institution's commitment to preserving and promoting fashion heritage through education.
