After a fantastic night of sleep in our new hotel, I was excited to start my second day in the charming Verona. The first item on our agenda was a visit to the New Academy of Design. Our visit started with a lecture that focused on master visual merchandising and retail. We got to see projects that current architecture and fashion students are designing, and I loved seeing what other students are passionate about – their work was so talented and well-planned. I also never realized how design, especially interior design, is a perfect combination of engineering and business. For example, consider a fashion boutique. It takes a business-oriented mind to make sure customers want to enter a shop and stay there, but engineers have to ensure physical structures and designs within the store are feasible and aesthetically pleasing.
After our visit with NAD, we took a break at a local shopping center, Adigeo, to eat lunch. I’m not sure if it was this particular area, but malls in Italy seem to be much more upscale than US malls – the food was incredible, and my friend Emily and I even got to visit a local pasticceria for Romeo & Juliet cookies and Nutella tarts. On that note, Nutella is surprisingly very popular in Italy, because its origin is located not far in Piedmont, Italy. The photo below includes a display case of sweets in this particular bakery.
After lunch, we had a company visit at Mero&More. This small, local company makes and designs women’s fashions.They aim to stay small, because it is quite beneficial for them to be incredibly flexible in the ever-changing fashion market. Company representatives informed us about their practices, and we took a tour of facilities where designs are cut for assembly. At this visit, I learned about the design process. First, the designer sketches his idea, and models them on a mannequin. Then, if this idea is greeted with positive feedback, it will be prototyped on a computer. Later, the material is cut at Mero&More and assembled by a third party. I was introduced to the specific construct of model design. This concept industrializes artisanal ideas by materializing fashion designs into tangible clothing.
Though I’m not sure my studies will align with fashion in the future, I found today’s insight about design to be very useful. The design process is used in every industry, and I’m glad I got to see both perspectives of design – business and engineering.
My most anticipated day of the trip awaits us – Venice. I’m sure I will have plenty more to tell then, but for now, bounasera!