How Roberto Capucci celebrates 70 years of craftsmanship, art and beauty 

By Maria Cristina Pavarini

“Metafore. Roberto Capucci: meraviglie della forma” (“Metaphors. Roberto Capucci: Marvels of Form”) is
the recently inaugurated exhibition, held at Triennale Milano, dedicated to the creative path of Roberto
Capucci, an emblematic figure in the world of fashion, a creator of clothes that look like architecture and
sculptures of fabric. 

The exhibition, open from November 17, 2021 to January 9, 2022, is the result of the annual collaboration
between Triennale Milano and Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d'Arte. It aims to represent a journey
through the work of one of the greatest protagonists of Italian fashion to tell his path and vision. 

The exhibition was curated by the journalist Gian Luca Bauzano, a reporter for Corriere della Sera for
fashion, costume and design, in collaboration with the Roberto Capucci Foundation and the Rometti
ceramics factory.

Innovator and experimenter, known internationally as the "Sculptor of Silk," Capucci is celebrating the 70th
anniversary of his first official appearance as a designer. In the spaces of the Triennale, his creative process
is explored, marked by experimentation with forms and materials, and by an attentive and visionary design.
On display are his clothing designs paired with the collection of ceramic sculptures Capucci designed,
produced by Manifattura Rometti (active since 1927 in Umbertide, in the province of Perugia), and created
by artistic director Jean-Christophe Clair. They are 20 unique pieces in clay and enamels entirely made and
decorated by hand, and inspired by various models of Capucci's clothes. 

To display the clothing, they chose the sartorial busts of the Atelier collection by Bonaveri, a specialized
mannequin manufacturer founded in 1950 chosen by international fashion brands, retailers and for the most
important international exhibitions. They enhance Capucci's creations and accompany visitors along the
creative and emotional path traced by the couturier. The busts – classic figures that the maestro has always
chosen for his exhibitions – trace simple and elegant forms, covered in linen and with a wooden base, some
of which have articulated wooden arms. 

"Today's fashion often seems omnivorous and too fast. Tied to a programmed obsolescence that privileges a
futile appearance, and hides the creative and artisan professionalism that works daily with commitment to
create fabrics, garments, accessories that take on the wonderful forms of dreams," says Franco Cologni,
president, Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d'Arte. "Roberto Capucci invites us instead to look at fashion
with different eyes, telling with talent a true story of beauty and splendor.”

 
"This exhibition is an opportunity to discover the research and craftsmanship behind the master of fashion's
collections. Bonaveri's sartorial busts fit into this context, emphasizing how quality, beauty and care reside in
Made in Italy creations," says Andrea Bonaveri, CEO, Bonaveri.