London, March 31, 2025 – The Italian Embassy in London hosted the sixth episode of Italian Threads: Conversations on Fashion, a series of talks in collaboration with the online news outlet ThePlatform, dedicated to one of Italy’s most representative industries: fashion.
The discussion on “Industrial Districts, an Italian Specificity” featured Gianluca Isaia, CEO of Isaia—an iconic name in Neapolitan tailoring—and Maria Cristina Squarcialupi, President of Unoaerre, the leading goldsmith company in Arezzo, representing the fastest-growing Italian jewelry district.
The project with ThePlatform aligns with the initiative “Italian Fashion Days Worldwide”, announced at the end of January by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani in collaboration with major industry associations. The ongoing series in London aims to showcase the entire fashion industry’s ecosystem and Italy’s unique strengths. For this reason, the March event focused on industrial districts—geographical areas in Italy specialized in specific production sectors, composed of small and micro-sized enterprises clustered around a few major companies, interconnected through a network-based system.
“This event is dedicated to an essential aspect of our production system: industrial districts,” stated Ambassador Inigo Lambertini in his opening remarks. “True laboratories of creativity and artisanal mastery, these districts embody an economic and cultural model that has successfully combined tradition and innovation, making Italy a global benchmark,” he emphasized.
During the discussion with Maria Silvia Sacchi, founder and director of ThePlatform, Gianluca Isaia and Cristina Squarcialupi shared insights into the origins and evolution of their respective districts, the flexibility of this production model—one that other countries have attempted to replicate—the challenges they face today, and how their companies can serve as drivers of growth and support, especially during market downturns.
The Italian Threads: Conversations on Fashion series, conceived by Maria Silvia Sacchi, resumed this year with Carlo Capasa, President of the Italian National Fashion Chamber, and Antonio De Matteis, President of Pitti Immagine, who on February 11 discussed the “diplomacy” required to establish the global fashion week system. The series will continue throughout the year at the stunning Italian Embassy venue in Grosvenor Square, covering topics such as entrepreneurship and creativity with Claudio Marenzi, President of Herno; blockchain and artificial intelligence in fashion with Stefano Rosso, President of Marni and Maison Margiela and founding board member of the Aura Consortium; and sustainability with Davide Bollati, CEO of Davines.
For more information: stampa.amblondra@esteri.it
(Photos by Flavio Gilardoni)
