The talent of learning
The beginning of this Book is dedicated to Talents and the excellent experience that Accademia Costume & Moda offers its students; I particularly like to remember my first meeting with the “Accademia family”. I refer to it as that, not only because it is a big, wonderful family as a team, students, and partners, but I myself feel part of this family since my first meeting at Accademia and its founder, Rosana Pistolese.
As I walked through the doors of this moving Accademia building in Rome for the first time in the 70s, I had the pleasure of meeting Rosana, a charismatic, incredibly capable and determined woman. I was immediately involved in the world of ACM through lessons, meetings with students and collaborations, and then later became part of the Talent Jury.
It has always been a wonderful opportunity and also a moment of mutual exchange of ideas to discuss the work with the young creatives. I have always been fascinated by the methodology of learning that the Accademia fosters: I would call it the Accademia method. Hence my current awareness of talent: a talent that is never an end in itself, but continually forged, nourished, accompanied by constant commitment, research, work, and infinite curiosity.
I am convinced that talent lies in the ability to learn, in the modesty of recognizing that a natural and innate gift does not survive, if not accompanied by strong dedication and sense of purpose.
My job has always been to accompany the creative people in the process of designing their collections, finding the best technical and experimental solutions. Over the years my company has thus become a real creative workshop, where the designers learned each time a method, a different journey to arrive at the final result together. Surely a path of continuous learning and discovery for young talents.
A talent grows and also evolves thanks to the fundamental support of those who accompany them on their path, from the moment of initial learning to the workplace. Creative talents develop and increase their potential also thanks to the environment in which they are nourished and the people surrounding them.
Accademia Costume & Moda allows all this thanks to a magical combination of passion, competence, commitment, and heritage. The vision that has always distinguished the Accademia allows its Talents to develop and increase their skills, within a unique and stimulating context.
“There is a time when talent meets opportunity.” (Lucio Anneo Seneca)
I am sure the opportunity for these young talents protagonists of this Book was the meeting with the Accademia family, their tutors, the team, the partner companies and all the special and somewhat magical “meetings” that happen thanks to Accademia. A story of encounters, like mine in the 70s, which tells of passionate and ambitious Talents.
Deanna Ferretti Veroni