{"id":2890,"date":"2026-01-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/?p=2890"},"modified":"2026-01-04T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T09:00:00","slug":"why-fashions-leading-houses-are-building-craft-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/?p=2890","title":{"rendered":"Why Fashion\u2019s Leading Houses Are Building Craft Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Chanel to Bottega Veneta, the world\u2019s top houses are betting on the next generation of artisans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"bottega<\/div>\n

Big-name brands are investing in high-level academies and educational programs dedicated to training the next generation of specialists \u2013 and preserving a legacy of craftsmanship in the process.<\/p>\n

It can take a few days, involving a technically complex process and that elusive virtue of patience, for a Bottega Veneta tote to be handwoven in the house\u2019s signature intrecciato style. At Accademia Labor et Ingenium, Bottega Veneta\u2019s academy of craft and creativity near Vicenza (Veneto), students are trained in these leathercraft processes by master artisans with decades of expertise.<\/p>\n

Established in 2023, the academy\u2019s workshops and courses offer both classroom and practical atelier-based learning, with skills ranging from prototyping to production. Like most of these high-end training academies, entry is competitive; only 50 students are accepted annually.<\/p>\n

\"bottega
At the Accademia Labor et Ingenium, students are trained by master artisans \u00a9Bottega Veneta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAs a young apprentice at Bottega Veneta, I learned from the expertise, passion and precision of more experienced artisans,\u201d said Ruggero Negretto, one of the academy\u2019s program leaders and a long-standing Bottega Veneta master craftsman.<\/p>\n

At Tod\u2019s headquarters in Italy\u2019s Marche region, meanwhile, Tod\u2019s Academy is a mentor-led \u2018laboratory of ideas.\u2019 The focus is on creative collaboration and reinterpreting the house\u2019s \u2018Made in Italy\u2019 heritage through a sustainable lens. Students from international fashion schools are tasked with reimagining Tod\u2019s design codes and signature products \u2013 from the Gommino loafer to the T Timeless logo \u2013 in projects combining Italian manufacturing traditions, creative expertise, and environmentally conscious materials like vegan leather and recycled rubber.<\/p>\n

\"bottega
The academies foster the next generation of talent \u00a9Bottega Veneta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lucky few (you can count them on one hand) who are accepted into Chanel<\/a>\u2019s M\u00e9tiers d\u2019Art Fellowship programs learn centuries-old secrets of European<\/a> haute couture embroidery, pleating, featherwork, and millinery. Mentored by craftspeople from Atelier Montex, Lesage, and Lemari\u00e9 \u2013 whose handwork on Chanel\u2019s haute couture and M\u00e9tiers d\u2019Art collections captivates each season \u2013 students undertake intensive training programs learning time-honored skills such as plumasserie (feather embroidery), felt shaping, and appliqu\u00e9.<\/p>\n

In the Italian town of Casperia, 30 miles north of Rome<\/a>, the Massoli tailoring academy is empowering Italy\u2019s future artisans, with Fendi\u2019s support. Dedicated to reviving what it perceives as «a neglected and heavily undervalued sector,» the academy is preserving the skills and knowledge that underpin a longstanding \u2018Made in Italy\u2019 heritage. These include tailored drapery, corsetry, patternmaking, hand sewing, and material studies.<\/p>\n

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The academies aim to preserve a legacy of craftsmanship \u00a9Bottega Veneta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Italy\u2019s culture of high jewelry predates the Renaissance, an emerging generation is learning the importance of balancing traditional techniques with technological innovation. Established in 2025 in partnership with TADS (Tar\u00ec Design School), Scuola Bulgari in Valenza, Piemonte is the maison\u2019s first publicly accessible training school offering courses in goldsmithing and gemstone setting. Practical training is enhanced by state-of-the-art laboratory equipment for refining processes like modeling, welding, laser cutting, and fretwork.<\/p>\n

European luxury houses are declaring it: tomorrow\u2019s artisans are not only the custodians of practical skills and knowledge that has been passed on for generations, they are also a vital part of the evolving dialogue between heritage and innovation.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Chanel to Bottega Veneta, the world\u2019s top houses are betting on the next generation of artisans.\u00a0 Big-name brands are investing in high-level academies and educational programs dedicated to training the next generation of specialists \u2013 and preserving a legacy of craftsmanship in the process. It can take a few days, involving a technically complex […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_preview_token":"","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}