Exhibition marks ‘50 years of Italian Fashion’

The Italian embassy inaugurated a fashion exhibition to mark ’50 Years of Italian Fashion’ at Four Seasons Hotel Doha.

Organised in co-operation with the Italian Trade Agency and Italian Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, the exhibition forms part of the ‘Italian Week in Qatar,’ which runs until November 27.

“This exhibition is an extraordinary journey through the history of Italian fashion. The amazing setting provided by our host hotel adds to the exclusiveness of this event,” Italian ambassador Pasquale Salzano said in his speech.

The event, attended by dignitaries, diplomats and fashion enthusiasts, is showcasing some of the collections of Alta Sartoria Bencivenga, renowned globally as a symbol of luxury, tailoring and passion.

Bencivenga, a family-owned fashion house based in Campania, Italy since 1958, is “a dynasty of couturiers” – from grandmother Giuseppa, a sophisticated dressmaker who worked for the royal family and rich Italian families, to her nephews.

The envoy said the Bencivenga brand has been growing to become a top-end name in the Italian fashion industry, citing the “dedication of the family members, who committed themselves totally for the success of their ambitious endeavour.”

He noted that family businesses have been sustaining for years the Italian economic development and small and medium companies grew to become global leaders in niche markets due to their dedication and enthusiasm.

“Italy and Qatar share the same values of a family-centered society. I believe there’s a great potential for co-operation on the best practices on the management of family businesses,” Salzano stressed.

“The Italian industry has a distinctive and unique capacity to blend and strive for excellence with the care of all single details of its production,” Salzano said. “This is the result of a combination of the highest technical skills with the passion of the men and women involved in these activities.”

The exhibition also saw the opening of Bencivenga’s first shop in the Middle East at the hotel. Speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines of the exhibition, brand manager Tiffany Bencivenga said the shop sells Italian fabric, and under appointment, it makes suit for men and dress for women.

He added that when they came here, they were surprised to know that many Qataris like Italian fashion, a reason for opening the Bencivenga shop.

“Everything is made in Italy, everything is handmade, and everything is focused on the details,” Tiffany stressed. “This is to prove that in Italy, we have this kind of job, we make everything by hand, and not everything is made by machine.”

About the exhibition, he explained that each pair (suit and dress) showcased at the event tells the history of the Italian fashion brand from 1960’s to 2000.