The Tour De Fashion, First Stop: Italy

FBI’s Global Fashion Experience to Italy was a unique adventure for me. It was the first time I had been abroad without family, and the first time I had ever been to Europe. I had just turned 18 not even 10 days earlier when we were at an altitude of 38,000 ft on our way across the world to the epicentre of fashion. It was a full on 10 days.

We landed in Milan early in the morning, heading straight to Istituto Marangoni for a full week of classes on “Moda di Lusso d’Italia” – “Luxury Fashion of Italy”. This extended into our company visits, which saw us standing in enormous converted silos, janky electronic music echoing through the vast structures, and a distinctly fresh and sharp aroma permeating the space. It was atmospheric. These weren’t just any Silos. These storehouses were a permanent exhibition of Giorgio Armani runway garments instead of grain. And again in a fashion show housed inside an airy sandstone building on the edge of Cathedral Square in the heart of Milan.

Everything in Italy is rich in culture. Every storefront, roof tile, and flagstone have a history. Florence was a beautiful blend of old and new. The Salvatore Ferragamo Museum inhabited the ground floor of a once medieval palace built in 1289, the cheerful and iconic rainbow platform sandals on display. The luxurious and velvety interior of the flagship Gucci store sat nestled behind a rustic stone façade that really was hundreds of years old. Florence was my favourite place of all of our tour.

As the days whisked by, we hopped on the bus to our third and final destination: Rome. We were throwing coins backwards into the Trevi Fountain for good luck, struggling to hold piping hot pizza looking up at The Pantheon, standing on the cusp of the Vatican, lounging on the Spanish Steps, and finishing off with a dusk drive-by of The Colosseum. One day to see it all and hop on a plane back to Aus. To say I was exhausted when I stepped off the plane is an understatement. But I was happy. I had made new friends, new experiences, and discovered a new favourite place I would definitely be returning to in the future. And I would do it all again in a year and a half in New York.

Interested? Have your own Global Experience with FBI and get in touch with Lauren on +61 2 9566 2020 or train@fbifashioncollege.com.au.