No More IULM!

Just like that the UNK Milano program ended! The past three weeks (for the program), four for me, have really flown by. Courses we completed include: introductory Italian, cultural economics, and fashion and design. In the short week long courses we learned a ton! In my previous blog posts I discussed cultural economics and a bit about introductory Italian. Our fashion and design course was the last one at IULM, and it was very interesting! The faculty at IULM is all very qualified. This particular professor had worked with many companies and clients. He explained how important the perception of reality is in relation to fashion. Design is that which best endorses fashion. But there is also the product and brand identity. Brand identity starts with history to form reliability and authenticity. Next the stylistic identity is created through long term stylistic codes that belong to the brand. The last factor in the brand is visual identity, long term codes used for communication. The overall brand value is dependent on the product. The brand is the frame. Brands move past quality to quantity due to societal pressures. It all depends on the competency of execution, drawing upon clientele’s emotions for communication.Oftentimes the fundamental factors that comprise these are overlooked by the majority. We had the chance to apply directly what we had learned in class by analyzing an assigned brand by visiting the store, learning a bit about the history, and then presenting it to the class. I was assigned Moschino, and I absolutely loved it! The brand is so unique and fun.

Overall, all these courses were interesting and quite a bit of work! Ultimately we took two written exams, completed a journal-type entry for every day, and gave a presentation. In the end I learned a lot, and I wish I could stay at IULM for school! Now that the program has ended I shall continue traveling around Italy with my younger brother.

Ciao tutti!