The renowned Italian fashion designer once described as ‘singlehandedly changing the course of fashion’ has passed on his expertise to University of Salford students.
Romeo Gigli, who transformed the fashion world in the 1980s and influenced a generation of designers, spent a morning talking about his work to students from the University’s fashion design programme.
He gave students at the University’s Adelphi Building a unique insight into his creative process and the influences that led to his distinctive style.
The designer, who once had stores in Milan, Manhattan and Paris, was described by the Los Angeles Times as ‘changing the course of fashion’ and by Vogue as the ‘leading force in a new generation of designers proclaiming a different fashion sensibility’.
He collaborated with the likes of Issey Miyake, Avedon and Paulo Roversi while Alexander McQueen, who worked as his assistant in 1989, credited Gigli with pushing him to polish his designs.
Prior to talking to the students, Gigli spoke to members of the fashion industry at an exclusive VIP masterclass event, which was hosted by the University and took place at their MediaCityUK campus.
The British fashion designer Betty Jackson CBE co-hosted the event, while Eric Bremner from MaxMara sat in conversation with Gigli.
The Italian designer also documented an exclusive film showing past collections, before leading a masterclass in which attendees were able to create their own designs alongside him.
The University of Salford fashion design programme has previously won a series of awards including the British Fashion Council Best Portfolio Award three times and the council’s Digital Award in 2009, 2014 and 2015.
At the end of last year the university’s BA (hons) fashion degree was also accredited with the Creative Skillset Tick, awarded by industry professionals for courses that provide excellent preparation for a career in the creative industries.
Programme leader Bashir Aswat said: “Romeo Gigli is a legend of the fashion world and our students benefited from a truly unique experience when they were able to meet him, hear his advice and listen to him talk about his creative process and inspirations. It’s wonderful for our students in Salford to have had this opportunity to learn from a true master of fashion design.”
