THE REDISCOVERY OF TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP: THE PROJECT OF ACP AND MARGHERITA MACCAPANI MISSONI

an old and sustainable know-how: this is the project realized by ACP – Art Capital Partners Palazzo Franchetti and Margherita Maccapani Missoni for a t-shirt that, beyond the natural fibers, is also able to revive an old tradition of craftmanship of our country.

Can the fashion world hope for a more sustainable future? This entirely Italian project is trying to answer positively to that question through the creation of a limited edition t-shirt coming from the collaboration between ACP - Art Capital Partners and Margherita Maccapani Missoni, who combines her experience as fashion designer with the love for the arts and for Italian traditions.

The limited edition T-shirt of 100% natural cotton is created to stimulate the rediscovery of the ancient and craftsmanship tradition of rust printing. In fact, the project aims at the enhancement and enrichment of the artisan traditions of our country while embracing the green philosophy.

The technique of rust printing was born in the Romagna region in the XVIII century: it consists in carving the drawing on pear wood and then the printing is handmade, using a mixture of either mineral colors or rust itself obtained through iron oxidation, along with white flour and vinegar,  of which the ratio and doses are secretly kept by artisans over the centuries. Even the drying and the fixing phases of the color takes place in a natural way, following the traditional rules.

This project is realized in collaboration with Alessia Calarota, deputy chairman of ACP - Art Capital Partners Palazzo Franchetti who, involving artists and people from the cultural and fashion world, aims at the rediscovery of our ancestors' know-how, always reminding to ACP Green Art Award, the award born to focus on environmentally sustainable topics.

The idea of making a T-shirt which modernizes not only natural fibers, but also part of our country’s handicraft tradition, comes from the encounter between Margherita and Alessia.

This technique is an ancient and sustainable know-how: the drawing is printed in a small selection of colors, red, blue and green, all obtained from minerals, in addition to the original rust color, obtained using rusty tools. Rust color is the protagonist of both the T-shirts series and this project as well, which wants to tell and revive ancient traditions and technical skills of our country, starting from the city of Venice.

Artisans from Antica Stamperia Carpegna, located in the homonymous small town in the inland between Romagna and Marche, have been involved in the making of the handprinting with carved pear wood mould and natural colors.

T-shirts are available for purchase at ACP - Palazzo Franchetti bookshop and on instagram at @acppalazzofranchetti.