Istituto Marangoni dives deep into the metaverse, establishing itself as the first school ever to enter this virtual-reality space. "There is an increasing need for young people to learn new skills in order to gain an overall vision," said Istituto Marangoni’s Managing Director Stefania Valenti.
"Giving them the traditional tools, while also exploring what is innovative, will allow us to create a new talented generation that will then be called upon in companies to implement more complex and structured projects."
A vision that leads to the creation of "The Talent District • Istituto Marangoni’s Metaverse Revolution," a virtual world where fashion, design and art express their universal power.
Officially online, the Istituto Marangoni metaverse was created with two Italian partners, Igoodi and Monogrid, both focused on digital spaces, and avatars, interactive projects, augmented reality and gaming.
"For Istituto Marangoni this is the starting point of a critical path, not only because we are debuting this new technology, an excellent innovation of our time, but especially because, as a group, we aim to create the new profiles and talents of tomorrow immediately," Valenti stated.
Although there are complex technologies behind it, the amazing thing about the platform is that the user experience has been designed to be very simple, allowing students to have a new environment where they can present themselves and their projects (almost) in person.
“Our students are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for us. They are full of ideas and continuously stimulate us to explore new frontiers. The metaverse is really an incredible and interactive tool to show their creativity and ability. In this virtual world, people will be able to see their projects and philosophy. I think it’s an incredible thing since this will allow them to make new contacts. We want this interactive showcase to allow our best students to get in touch with companies.” – Stefania Valenti, Istituto Marangoni Managing Director
In this perspective, the name The Talent District does not sound accidental.Made in Italy has become famous worldwide because of the "districts" concept; in some way, this also means that the great districts of Made in Italy can now find space in a new dimension yet to be explored.
Entering the Istituto Marangoni metaverse is like landing on a new planet’s surface. In this futuristic and constantly evolving environment, several areas are already accessible, while others are about to debut very soon, such as the Theatre, the Archive and the Partner area.
First, the Plaza is where users can explore the three main themes of Fashion, Design and Art through the icons describing the courses. Then, moving around with two different types of customisable avatars, the guests of the metaverse can visit the Exhibition Pavilion and discover the students’ projects. But there is more to come.
"We are working to create a fashion show in the metaverse in September with models who will be avatars and outfits that will be worn thanks to technology. A couple of selected students from all the nine Istituto Marangoni schools all over the world will parade in the metaverse where they will be able to tell about their collections and also give information on the individual pieces." – Stefania Valenti
For now, another project with a big name in the industry – Cappellini – is already accessible. The Design School students collaborated on designing the brand’s first NFT collection inspired by life on other planets, with a logic also inspired by climatic aspects, gravity, local materials and temperature. The result is an exciting collection with a vision of a near future of mixed reality.
"As our students become experts of the metaverse, fashion and design companies will have more people they can immediately add to their workforce," said Stefania Valenti. She also explained that, from November, fashion design, fashion business and fashion styling programmes would have new teachers – including Monogrid experts – who will teach the students new skills for a broader vision.
"The students are all excited about this new project and are giving us a lot of ideas to explore this new world," the managing director concluded. "In our virtual Theatre, we will also host a series of events and try to bring all our students together in the future with big reunions. These would be physically impossible otherwise, with nine schools plus the one that will open in Dubai in September scattered around the world and more than 45 thousand alumni."
Lastly, proficient use of technology might also represent a concrete answer to sustainability. For example, creating prototypes with software means undoubtedly avoiding a lot of product waste.
Margherita Malaguti,
Alumna. Editor, Milan