Florence is a special destination: fascinating to visit for the first time, wonderful for regulars. Statues, churches, noble monuments, ancient workshops: a unique atmosphere attracting millions of visitors every year. However, Florence doesn’t only have classical itineraries, also paths off the beaten track have their charm such as the “fashion museums”, monuments dedicated to the past and present fashion, considered a source of inspiration for the future.

Florence has been significant in the fashion world for centuries, starting from textile and wool merchants, to dyers and felters, following silk traders and cultural exchanges. It was the location of the first Italian couture fashion show in 1951, and is hometown of great designers such as Gucci, Ferragamo, Pucci, Cavalli and many others. Therefore, Florence is not only the cradle of the Renaissance, but also “the cradle of Made in Italy fashion”.

In the splendid setting of “Palazzo Pitti”, you find the Italian museum dedicated to fashion and its history: “Museo della Moda e del Costume” (known as “Galleria del Costume), tracing a detailed history of styles occurred over time. It counts a collection of more than 6000 artefacts involving ancient dresses, accessories, theatrical and cinematographic costumes of great documentary importance and numerous articles of Italian and foreign stylists. Recently, it features “Tracce 2018 – Lasciarsi guidare dalla Moda”, an exhibition involving fashion, art and travel. A display pulling together paintings and sculptures originating from the collection of “Galleria di Arte Moderna”, as well as dresses and accessories.

In “Palazzo Spini-Feroni” in via de’ Tornabuoni, the Salvatore Ferragamo museum is located displaying part of the collection of over 10.000 shoes realized by the fashion house. There are works of excellent  craftsmanship evoking fashion and styles of the previous century as well as photos, journals, sketches and wooden models of some celebrities’ shoes.

Our “fashion tour” continues along via de’Tornabuoni, into the historic “Palazzo della Mercanzia di Firenze”, where Gucci recently launched the new Gucci’s museum: Gucci Garden. Conceived by the creative manager Alessandro Michele, the location is home to a boutique with unique pieces, the “Gucci Osteria” restaurant by Massimo Bottura, the chef whose “Osteria Francescana” has been awarded as “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” 2018, and the exhibition area “Gucci Garden Galleria” curated by Maria Luisa Frisa. Composed by different thematic rooms, “Gucci Garden Galleria” represents the new vision of the Maison paying tribute to the Gucci archive with its historical advertising campaigns, a focus on craftsmanship and vintage items.

Florence’s uniqueness is the history of past and Renaissance, but also modernity and contemporaneity: a precious mix of historical and current museal arts.

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