I am very thankful that I was awarded a substantial scholarship toward my participation in the Plus3 program. I traveled with my group to Italy, where we mainly stayed in Milan, but also visited Verona, Florence, and even Venice. The focus of our trip was to study supply chains within the fashion industry. This was…

After returning to the US, I have been able to reflect on how well the pre departure meetings we had at school had prepared me for my trip. I first reflected on this some while taking the post travel survey, but I have been able to think about it further after being at home. There…

Today we visited Linea Pelle, a company that describes itself as the most important source of leather and fabrics in the world. At first, I was confused about the company’s exact role, but then I realized it is similar to the Consorzio we visited. What I gathered is that many tanneries and producers of leather…

Today we visited the Catholic University to hear a lecture from an experienced fashion professor on the subject of sustainability. She touched on many topics such as luxury goods, fast fashion, and some issues that face the industry. I always feel as if I already know a lot about fashion, but then I just end…

Today we heard a presentation from the head of marketing from Bottega Valasca, a company that specializes in handmade men’ shoes. We also visited their sorting factory and one of their flagship stores in Milan. The company’s main goal is to be a reference point for high quality shoes within the market. They have many…

Today I was fairly sick and was unable to attend most of the site visits, but I thought I would write a shorter blog about some of the information I was able to obtain from the Mario Feroni knitwear company. I was only able to tour some of the factory before I felt sick again,…

Today we visited one of the Consorzio Della Moda’s 46 member businesses. The Consorzio is a place that offers business advice and strategies to textile firms that are struggling. The business that we visited today was Mero and More, a member of the Consorzio who rents out areas such as a production factory, a design…

Today we went to Venice by train from Verona, which was a very efficient way to travel there. When we first approached the city, it was obviously surrounded by water, but it was very beautiful with many boats and buildings. It exceeded my expectations of everything I had though of it before. Walking through the…

Today we traveled to Verona and took a walking tour of the city. I did not know what to expect before the tour because I had never really heard much about Verona prior to this trip. It turns out, the city is a beautiful representation of original Roman structure with a combination of many other…

Today we visited the unique Florentine Leather School in Florence, a center for artisans and aspiring craftsmen to practice and learn how to make leather products from scratch. The school has an upper level for the craftsmen to create original products to be sold in the store; artisans can create different versions of a product…

Today, the group traveled about an hour away to the beautiful region of Como, an area that houses many picturesque restaurants, shops, and landmarks, but is most famously known for the iconic Lake Como. The Como area is also known in the fashion industry as a leading producer of quality silk. We visited the Montero…

Today in Milan we visited the Da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology, and I learned many things I had not previously known about Leonardo Da Vinci. One of the most interesting of these was that “Da Vinci” is not his last name, it simply means “from Vinci” in Italian, as Vinci is a city…

The Duomo area in Milan is filled with culture and historical buildings and statues, but it is also home to the world’s most notable shopping district. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is home to the very first Prada store (originally named Fratelli Prada or Prada Brothers) along with many other notable high end shops of Italian…

This morning we arrived in Milano (a little later than expected due to “complications” on our flight), and I was initially surprised when we left the airport in the bus at how people drove on the right side of the street just as we do in the US; the drivers were also seated on the…