Asylum seekers from Mali and Gambia strutted down the catwalk January 14 at Florence’s prestigious Pitti Uomo exhibition, kicking off an initiative to school would-be migrant fashionistas in Italy’s top art. In a fashion world first, farmers and construction workers who made the perilous journey by boat to Italy in May took centre-stage in Tuscany’s capital, modelling everything from sharply-tailored suits to tasselled jumpers and outlandish hats. Despite initially appearing a touch overawed, they pulled off the trademark model walk – one even shooting the cameras a smoldering look worthy of a supermodel as he stopped to pose at the end of the runway. The men, aged between 19 and 27, who could not be identified for legal reasons, were handpicked for the show from their reception centers by the ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative, which mentors young emerging designers from Africa. EFI head and founder Simone Cipriani told the media that the event, which features four collections by African stylists, was an initiative to “show that migrants are a resource”. “We are setting up a training centre for refugees and migrants in Italy to work in the industry of fashion and be enabled to go back home and set up their own businesses there,” he said. The project is being launched with Lai-momo, an Italian association which raises awareness of migration issues and since 2014 has been involved in running a series of reception centers in and around Bologna, in Italy’s center-north.
