3 Key Takeaways from Vogue Italia's Forces of Fashion 2025
Yesterday, I tuned into the third edition of Vogue Italia’s Forces of Fashion event in Rome. It was a day packed with panel discussions giving fashion students and enthusiasts alike a dive deep into the world of style and glean insights from some of the industry's most influential figures. Throughout the day, I joined a few thought-provoking sessions -
"The Ferrari Perspective: People, Passion, Community" - Creative director of Ferrari, Rocco Iannone and renowned model/ dancer, Eleonora Abbagnato discussed the similarities between dance and fashion and how they influence one another.
"Finding Ourselves In Fashion" - Journalist and fashion editor, Anna Dello Russo joined the stage to share her career journey and tangible advice on how to make oneself well-informed in the industry and have a distinct POV.
"Radical Thinkers in Fashion: The Shifting Grounds of Style and Identity" - Creative director of Courrèges, Nicolas Di Felice and creator of the label Hodakova, Ellen Hodakova Larsson shed light on their creative processes and how they stay grounded despite their high profile roles.
Across these three panels, a few common themes emerged, offering a powerful view of the future trajectory of the industry:
Breaking Out of the Fashion Bubble
A recurring thought across the sessions was of breaking out of the fashion industry bubble. Fashion often feels like an insular world, where conversations and collaborations stay within its confines. However, as panelists acknowledged, true innovation comes from outside influences.
Nicolas Di Felice shared his strategies for staying grounded which include enjoying a vibrant social life with friends from his school days. These connections he has with his friends outside of the industry open him up to new experiences are vital for creating fresh perspectives. For example, his last collection for Courrèges was directly inspired by car sunshields, which he used to construct garments—a vision only made possible by opening himself up to the geometric designs of the automotive industry.
Ellen Hodakova further illustrated that grounding oneself in day-to-day life can directly inspire work. Her designs, chiefly characterized by sustainability, incorporate everyday items that hold personal value, allowing them to tell a story of who she is at that moment in time.
Nostalgia vs. Future Focused
It's no secret that fashion is cyclical, driven by the concept of nostalgia. Until the “Finding Ourselves in Fashion” panel, I never thought about why nostalgia exists in the confines of fashion design. However, the moderator offered an interesting yet simple explanation: the majority of the designers with influence in any given time period are of a similar age and idealize the eras of their youth. It is not that the eras themselves were objectively "great," but rather because childhood is viewed with a heightened sense of romanticization that they want to bring back.
While speakers agreed that understanding fashion history is paramount, many, like Di Felice, are more concerned with the future of fashion than dwelling on the past. His designs in particular are known for pushing boundaries and embracing a distinctly futuristic aesthetic, as with the aforementioned use of the car sunshields for his last collection.
Ultimately, fashion design should find a balance between nostalgia and futurism. The Swedish concept of “lagom” was introduced into the discussion and emphasizes finding harmony in all aspects of life. Hodakova infuses this philosophy into her work, but the entire industry can learn from this in how it approaches the topic of nostalgia and the future. One is not better than the other. In fact, design should acknowledge pieces of the past but evolve them to fit what the future demands, based on the context of what is happening in the world.
The Power of Storytelling
Finally, the inherent power of storytelling in fashion was a pervasive theme. Eleonora Abbagnato drew parallels between fashion and dance, highlighting their shared beauty, performance, and ability to tell a story without words.
One fantastic way to tell stories is through fashion shows although in the years following COVID, some in the industry questioned their relevancy. Despite that, Hodakova has a strong stance in favor of them because they cement the narrative designers seek to create around their lines through the composition of the runway, the music selection and accessories. Without them, it makes it difficult for the spectator to understand the message solely through the clothing.
Anna Dello Russo agrees with this sentiment as she attends shows to immerse herself in the entire production and later touches the fabrics to get a sensory experience that helps her understand the story being told. For her, fashion is like geology - you must study to understand it. By attending fashion shows, she gets a front row seat in class and learns the ins and outs before she ever offers a critique.
The Forces of Fashion event was a powerful reminder that fashion is much more than just clothing. It is an art form of self-expression that must reflect the world, tell a compelling story and balance itself between honoring the past and embracing what the future has to offer.