Workshop Missoni – Daring to be Different

Book Review – Links Between Missoni Designs and Futurism Explored

Jul 3, 2009

This catalogue accompanies an exhibition at London's Estorick Collection. It explores the relationship between Missoni designs and Futurist art in the Gallery's display.

Workshop Missoni: Daring to be Different, edited by Paola Noé and published by Gangemi Editore spa, has been issued to accompany an exhibition, of the same name, on show at London's Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art until 20th September 2009.

The exhibition, curated by Luca Missoni, and the resulting 95-page catalogue is the culmination of two years of collaboration between the Estorick and the Missoni family, leading fashion knitwear designers and manufacturers. The business was founded by Ottavio Missoni and his wife Rosita. Fifty years later they are still involved together with their sons and daughters, Vittorio, Angela and Luca.

The publication examines the Futurist doctrine that applied arts, such as knitwear, rank equal with painting and sculpture as a means of artistic expression. The book also demonstrates the processes used in the design of Missoni products and how these creations are inextricably linked to Futurism.

The publication opens with an introductory essay by Roberta Cremoncini, Director of the Estorick Collection. The remainder of the catalogue is divided into five sectons.

Roberta Cremoncini's Introducton

Roberta Cremoncini explains that the show was the outcome of an idea presented to the Estorick by Maggie Norden, Director of Creative Media at the London College of Fashion.

Norden was working on a film entitled The Black and White of Colour and showed photographs from the film to the Estorick. The links between Missoni multi-coloured geometric designs and Futurist art in the Estorick's collection were instantly apparent. As a result, it was decided to mount an exhibition that would demonstrate how the applied arts, such as Missoni designs for clothing and home products, could be just as good, artistically, as the Futurist works of art that they echo. Norden's film is being shown as part of the exhibition.

This chapter, written by Maggie Norden and Caroline Cox, Professor of Cultural History, London College of Fashion, takes Cremoncini's introduction a step further and looks at attitudes to knitting, the craft at the root of all Missoni designs. They examine the place of knitting as an art form. Attitudes to knitting are slow to change. When talking about the craft one tends to think of home workers laboriously producing garments with a pair of knitting needles and a ball of wool, rather than the latest innovative looms producing garments at high speed. This chapter highlights the Missonis' use of the latest machinery and technical innovations to create their colourful clothing and home collection.

The authors also show how artists such as Sonia Delaunay, Giacomo Balla, Gino Severini, Johannes Itten and Paul Klee have influenced Missoni knitwear. Ottavio Missoni, head of the family, described his affinity with Balla:

"there is a similarity between our work. I've always been so enthusiastic about Balla…all those rectangles and triangles – the greatest Maestro Balla!" (Workshop Missoni, p. 10).

This section takes the form of an interview. Ottavio and Rosita Missoni talk to Maurizio Bortolotti, art critic, curator and Professor at NABA and Domus Academy in Milan, about the Missoni identity. The Missonis discuss reactions to early garments featuring stripes. At the time – 1958 – they were considered outrageous!

This section, written by Ali Kazma, aTurkish artist fascinated by Missoni designs and production techniques, investigates the combination of craftsmanship and modern design that go into the Missoni brand. He shows the results of his research in two videos which are on show at the exhibition. The catalogue includes stills from the videos.

This photographic section displays images of working looms together with several paintings by Futurist artists including Futurist Suit (ca. 1918) by Giacomo Balla, Ballerina (ca. 1957) by Gino Severini, Untitled (Greenhouses, 1953) by Tancredi and Untitled by Sonia Delauney (1936), as well as tapestries, sketches and examples of panels by Ottavio Missoni. This section also includes photographs of highlights of Missoni collections from 1970 onwards.

This chapter charts important events in the private and public lives of the Missoni family from the birth of Ottavio in 1921 right through to the opening of the first Missoni Hotel in Edinburgh.

Workshop Missoni: Daring to be Different, edited by Paola Noé and published by Gangemi Editore spa (Rome, 2009), is priced at £10.95 (ISBN: 978-88-492-1693-6).

The copyright of the article Workshop Missoni – Daring to be Different in Visual Art Books is owned by Frances Spiegel. Permission to republish Workshop Missoni – Daring to be Different in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.