Tod's Legacy: Tod's Academy And Central Saint Martins Work Together To Support Young Creatives
The new generation of creatives needs to be supported and promoted, especially now. Tod's Legacy is an initiative launched last February 19, during the opening of London Fashion Week, with a digital project which will be unveiled on a dedicated platform.
Conceived by the Tod’s Group and coordinated by Fabio Piras, Course Director of Central Saint Martins MA Fashion Course, Tod's Legacy is the result of a collaboration with prestigious art and design College, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, launched in July 2020 as part of the Tod's Academy.
Tod's Academy is a laboratory of ideas based in the Brand's HQ in the Marche region of Italy. It is was developed as a place for making and thinking, in which artisans accompany and support students, offering them ways and techniques to make products with a view to continue the skills used in previous generations, mixed with the modern and personal point of view of each creative. The inventiveness of the designers freely dialogues with Tod's values in a context of creativity, manual dexterity and exchange of knowledge.
The Tod's Legacy project includes 35 young designers from all corners of the world, chosen directly by Central Saint Martins: a borderless selection which enriches the Tod's universe with further facets, of new points of view, visions and values. Through this collaboration, with a view to social sustainability, each creative has received a scholarship, which means an effective support in both studies and professional development. Each student was asked to give their own interpretation of one or more Tod's codes, focusing on the creative process that led to the final proposal. The objects of this study have been the icons, as well as the techniques of the brand: D Bag, Gommino, T Timeless and the handmade craftsmanship. This proposal was read through very personal lenses: deconstructed, taken apart, patch worked, embroidered, made in sustainable materials or assigned to new functions. In this process of analysis, which was carried out with inventive means, each student has been supported by a mentor and sparring partner, by a fashion master, in order to evaluate choices and make suggestions.
The roster of mentors involved in Tod's Legacy includes some of the most prestigious international editors, journalists and designers: tastemakers such as Hamish Bowles and Gianluca Longo, editors-in-chief such as Emanuele Farneti and Simone Marchetti, critics such as Sarah Mower, Alexander Fury and Angelo Flaccavento, stylists like Francesca Burns, designers such as Simone Rocha and Charles Jeffrey, talent scouts like Sara Maino.
The result is a personal interpretation of the very idea of legacy, meant as cultural and creative baggage. Starting from Tod's own heritage to interpret it in innovative and spontaneous ways, this generation of creative’s blends their own personal legacy - one of culture, studies and family - with the brand. Some of them will also have the opportunity to further enrich their knowledge through an internship at the Tod's Academy.
“This is a beautiful project that supports students and at the same time brings unusual and innovative points of view to Tod’s. Thanks to all the mentors who helped us and thanks to Central Saint Martins and Fabio Piras for their precious contribution.”
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