The Race between Italy and France for the American Market

Abstract

This paper aims to highlight the main initiatives undertaken in the fashion sector in Italy and France between the Fifties and the Sixties of the twentieth century. Moreover, this concerning the high Italian fashion shows organized in Florence starting in February 1951 by Giovanni Battista Giorgini. Indeed, they marked the affirmation of Italy at an international level by registering a considerable interest on the part of American buyers. In this context, the role of Paris as the unique capital of fashion in the world is challenged for the first time. In this regard, Italian fashion and, in a more particular way, Florence became the leading competitor in conquering the American market for the fashion sector during the second post-war period. In particular, the text traces the public and private intervention plans for the coordination and promotion of the fashion system in both countries.