Ferrari Fashion School is proud to present its collaboration with Fondazione Le Costantine, a historic institution that has been promoting craftsmanship, sustainability, and social inclusion in the heart of Salento for over a century. This unique academic project engaged second-year students of the undergraduate program in Fashion Design, offering them an invaluable opportunity to work with one of the most respected names in Italian artisanal excellence.
Le Costantine: A Heritage of Textile Art and Female Empowerment
Located in a beautiful rural estate near Lecce, Fondazione Le Costantine has been active since 1900, preserving and promoting traditional textile crafts through a sustainable and socially conscious model. Its artisanal excellence has attracted international attention, including that of Maria Grazia Chiuri, former creative director of DIOR, who has been collaborating with Le Costantine for years. Together, they produce exclusive handcrafted textiles woven on manual looms by local artisans.
The Project: Resortwear Capsule Collections Between Craft and Innovation
The academic collaboration resulted in the development of women’s resort capsule collections, guided by designer and faculty member Lika Kubaneishvili. Students were challenged to incorporate recovered and scrap fabrics from Le Costantine’s artisanal production, combining them with natural materials to create collections that are both modern and sustainable.
This design process encouraged students to merge cultural research and aesthetic innovation, creating garments that reflect a refined lifestyle concept while expressing each designer’s personal identity—always in respect of the materials and their cultural significance.
Education, Territory, and Social Impact
The project culminated in a final presentation of the capsule collections, attended by Cristina Rizzo, President of Fondazione Le Costantine. In her remarks, she praised the contemporary vision, freshness, and consistency of the student designs, highlighting their ability to reinterpret traditional craftsmanship in an original and conscious way.
This collaboration exemplifies Ferrari Fashion School’s experiential learning model, where meaningful dialogue with cultural and manufacturing institutions of excellence becomes a core element of student education. At the same time, the partnership with Le Costantine sends a powerful message: fashion can—and must—be a tool for cultural preservation, social empowerment, and environmental sustainability.–
