Young people with an interest in fashion who may be uncertain about choosing a career in such industry, should maybe try and look at the possibility of working in textile conservation and restoration. This could be an interesting career since it allows to learn notions from different fields, including science and technology, and learn more about fiber composition, but also new technologies to preserve textiles.
Restoring textiles allows you to work directly on garments and costumes and on samples as well and collaborate with historical factories. At the moment, for example, five books of textile samples from Biella-based manufacturer of yarns and fabrics Tollegno 1900, part of Tollegno Holding (leading Italian company in the international textile sector, owner of Manifattura di Valduggia and producing apparel and underwear under the Ragno, Julipet and Riabella brands) are being restored in Italy.
Dating back to 1886 and produced by the Lanificio Agostinetti e Ferrua - the original mill that then generated Tollegno - the samples are currently being restored at the Centro di Conservazione e Restauro (CCR - Centre for Conservation and Restoration) "La Venaria Reale" in Turin.
The centre is also restoring two books of samples from the Oleggio Civic Museum (near Novara), both from the first half of the 1900s and including silk jacquard samples and handmade laces.
The historical Tollegno 1900 archive (since 2010 they digitalised around 1 km of documents - there's still another km to work on) is considered one of the richest in Europe and preserves a wide range of rare samples, considered of vital importance not just for the history of the company, but for the history of Italian culture, economy and fashion. So, when choosing a career in the fashion industry, don't rule out textile conservation and restoration, as it may prove as more exciting than you may think.
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