Gianfranco Ferré. Design Principles is the exhibition catalog curated by the Gianfranco Ferré Research Centre, Politecnico di Milano, and the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The exhibition, hosted in Los Angeles (07 February – 15 May 2023), explores Gianfranco Ferré’s unique approach to fashion design through six design principles that inspired the designer’s creative process, introducing Ferré’s own “methodology”—quite an uncommon dimension to be codified in fashion.

“‘Design Principles’ is the first dissemination act since the Research Centre was established at the Politecnico di Milano. This made it an opportunity for reflection on the design principles underlying the work of Gianfranco Ferré, so representative of the polytechnic culture and the continuous trend towards harmonizing the culture of technology and science with that of art. Moreover, it allows us to share some of the first research experiments that will lead to developing an ambitious ‘augmented archive’ project over the next three years”.
– Paola Bertola, Full Professor Politecnico di Milano and Scientific Director of the Gianfranco Ferré Research Center

The only English-available book is a production of the Gianfranco Ferré Research Center, Digital Innovation for Creative and Cultural Industries, established in December 2021 by the Politecnico di Milano following the Ferré family’s donation of the archive and the headquarter of the historic Gianfranco Ferré Foundation. Under the coordination of the Design Department’s Fashion in Process Research Laboratory, the Research Centre intends to systematize the technical and scientific know-how and the culture of design that distinguish the Politecnico di Milano with the tangible and intangible heritage relating to the history, culture, and techniques of fashion preserved and promoted by the Gianfranco Ferré Foundation since 2008.

Published by Corraini Edizioni, the book will be distributed for free.