MeetThink fashion (1/6). Fashion has become a subject of study in its own right over the past few years and links have been forged between intellectuals and luxury brands. As illustrated by the recent course given in a prestigious American faculty by the Italian, close to the artistic director of Gucci.
When we find him in his Parisian apartment, in the middle of a mountain of books, Emanuele Coccia has just returned from the United States. From Boston, precisely. For four months, the Italian philosopher taught fashion at Harvard. A great first for the American university – never before had the discipline taken over its walls in this way.
In its course, baptized “The Ego in Things: Fashion As a Moral Laboratory” (“the self in things: fashion as a moral laboratory”), he bluntly asserts that fashion is “the place in which all the arts mix and unite to transfigure our bodies, our identities and our lives”, sweeping aside the reproaches of frivolity which are still regularly addressed to him.
He also argues that fashion is “one of the most active philosophical laboratories of the moment”. News of a fashion class quickly spread around campus and curious students spread the word. “I had booked a small classroom, I really didn’t think there would be a crowd! But, given the number of registrants, we had to migrate to amphitheater,” says the philosopher, still surprised by such success.
Analysis of collections
Between the study of a Balenciaga video featuring the Simpsons and that of a conference given in 2017, at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, precisely, by Virgil Abloh (creator of Off-White and artistic director of Vuitton’s men’s fashion until his death in November 2021, at the age of 41), Emanuele Coccia has, in his teaching, reserved a place of choice for the analysis of the collections of Alessandro Michele, director of the creation of Gucci since 2015.
The two men met two years ago through the designer’s companion, Giovanni Attili, urban planner and teacher-researcher at La Sapienza University in Rome.. The current instantly passed between the 49-year-old star artistic director and the 46-year-old intellectual, and they have since maintained a privileged relationship. From their erudite companionship was born the idea of a book, currently being written with four hands, on the relationship between fashion and philosophy. Publication is scheduled for next year.
“With fashion, it’s still hard to admit that to understand it you also need to have philosophical knowledge. » Emanuele Coccia
Fine scholar, Alessandro Michele is in the habit of quoting Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Roland Barthes or the psychoanalyst Félix Guattari in his notes of intent – these texts distributed during the shows which are usually content to announce “the inspiration of the season”.
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