Italy’s fashion chamber strengthens its commitment to enhancing the Made-in-Italy ecosystem with an initiative that fits into the narrative Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana has been building for years around the key pillars defining the industry’s identity. On the occasion of the Made in Italy National Day 2026, Cnmi presented “Grand Tour. A journey around our Arts & Crafts Academies", a documentary film that celebrates the training and dissemination of know-how in the Italian fashion industry, whose excellence is recognized worldwide. The project addresses three of CNMI’s main priorities: protection and promotion of Made in Italy know-how, boosting the sector’s appeal to the new generations, and investment in the sector in Italy in step with the consolidation of Italian fashion as an industrial and cultural model of reference at a global level.
The documentary takes the spectator around the academies of Italian fashion houses, including Brioni, Brunello Cucinelli, Dolce&Gabbana, Fendi, Gruppo OTB, Kiton, Tod’s, and Valentino. Through the voices of people who create, teach, and learn in these academies, the film presents an authentic, fact-based, and emotional vision of Made in Italy as an integrated system of creativity, manufacturing, innovation, and training, organized locally throughout the country. Its title was inspired by the Grand Tour, that educational journey undertaken by young Europeans in the 17th to 19th centuries, in which Italy was an indispensable destination, a fact taking on powerful new significance in our current situation.
The documentary was written and directed by Alessandro Manieri, with executive production by The Blink Fish. From April 28, the documentary will be available on Sky Italia’s YouTube channel, on Sky Arte, and on demand.
“The initiative’s first objective was to upgrade the role of our members’ Academies, that of providing know-how, the training of highly qualified professionals and boosting the competitiveness of Made in Italy worldwide," said Carlo Capasa, chairman, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. The success of our industry is rooted in an alliance between creativity and manufacturing, so training is a strategic priority for the future. This documentary highlights an essential and too often neglected part of our sector, thus restoring dignity and visibility to what are extraordinary crafts and professions. At the centre of all this is work, in its noblest sense.”
Brioni’s “Scuola di Alta Sartoria Nazareno Fonticoli,” Brunello Cucinelli’s “Scuole di Alto Artigianato Contemporaneo per le Arti e i Mestieri” and Kiton’s “Scuola di Alta Sartoria” focus on preserving and teaching tailoring excellence. Valentino’s “Bottega dell’Arte” in Rome aims to enhance and pass on the precious haute couture savoir-faire of the Maison by training professionals for the sector, involving six students each year in a nine-month learning program.
OTB’s “Scuola dei Mestieri” concentrated on style and product development, while Fendi’s “Istituto dei Mestieri di Eccellenza LVMH” transmitted the savoir-faire of the High-Quality Artisanal Leather Goods. The “Bottega dei Mestieri” of Tod’s spotlighted design, prototyping, and manufacturing processes of the Group’s products.. Dolce & Gabbana highlighted its “Botteghe di Mestiere” in-house training program that aims to teach the new generations the basics of artisanal garment making, which also includes a spin-off specializing in jewelry and watchmaking, introduced in 2024.
Cnmi will also organize a special showing of the film for the public on April 19 in the Auditorium of MAXXI, the National Museum of 21st Century Arts. On April 27, the film will be presented at the Goulandris Foundation in Athens, followed by a talk that will feature Capasa as one of the speakers.
Photo: A still from the documentary, featuring Kiton's academy. Courtesy of Cnmi
