We left Verona today and headed back to Milan. On our way to Milan we made multiple stops to different companies. First, we visited a distribution center which specializes in packaging and sending products on behalf of all different types of companies. This visit tied in nicely with our focus on supply chain and I…

Today we had the worst weather yet. It was just under 50 degrees and raining. Even worse it was still windy so it felt even colder than it was. Regardless of the weather, we had a company meeting planned and we had to continue on.  Today we met again with the people from the fashion…

After an early wake up call and a little longer than an hour train ride, we arrived in Venice. I really liked the train ride because I was able to see the country side of Italy. The rolling hills and large vineyards were very nice and it was exactly like how I pictured. When we…

Today was our first full day in Verona and we started with a visit to a local design school. The school we visited was called Nuova Accademia del Design and they have three specialities: interior design, visual design, and fashion design. We had the opportunity to hear from professors and students about their experiences with…

Today we said goodbye to Milan and left for Verona. The bus ride was about 2.5 hours and it went fairly quickly because we had a view of the Alps for most of the ride. I loved seeing the snow covered tips and the sharpness of the mountains.  Once we got to Verona, we unfortunately…

Today, we toured the fashion district of Milan and got the chance to see the quaint shops and unique buildings. It was a beautiful day and I really enjoyed seeing a different part of Milan. Unfortunately, a lot of the shops sold very expensive, modern clothes and I did not see anything that I loved…

Today kicked off with a company visit to Lineappelle which is a leather consortium. In the beginning we were given a lecture that highlighted Italy’s role in the global demand for leather. We learned the automotive industry is demanding more leather than ever before and consumer goods is demanding less. This affects the different type…

Our day kicked off in Montenapoleone where we visited the first Starbucks ever built in Milan. This visit is different from all of the others because it is the only American company that we tour. In addition, Italians value coffee very greatly in their culture and this makes it difficult for an American company with…

Today we visited the Mantero Silk company in the morning in nearby Como. Mantero is the company I was responsible for researching in our pre-departure meetings so it was very cool to finally see the company in person. First, we saw the open workspace that all the designers used to create new patterns for scarves,…

Today’s events included a visit to Cattolica University, the Leonardo da Vinci museum, and a night out on our own. Personally I really enjoyed my time at Cattolica University because we were given a lecture on the sustainability of the fashion supply chain by a professor at the school. She was very knowledgeable and even…

Today started with a much needed Italian language and culture crash course. In my previous post I said I needed to practice my Italian a lot more and thankfully I had that opportunity today. As a group, we learned useful phrases in different settings such as in a restaurant, cafe, and with friends. I also…

Today, we woke up quite early in Pittsburgh with a strong sense of excitement and anticipation. It was finally time to fly to Milan. Although we all have been looking forward to this trip for many weeks, we still had to overcome a grueling day of travel that included approximately 10 hours of plane travel…

Hello everyone! My name is Jack Kremer and I am a freshman studying industrial engineering with a minor in economics at the University of Pittsburgh. I am from Wexford, Pennsylvania where I originally attended Pine-Richland High School. Outside of my coursework, I keep myself busy at Pitt by participating on the club golf team and…