Where Italian pattern making was born
The history of Istituto Secoli largely coincides with the history of industrial pattern making itself.
When the fashion industry began to organize itself as a production system in the post-war period, there was a lack of technical language capable of translating creative ideas into replicable garments.
It was then that Secoli, heir to the great Italian tailoring tradition, transformed the art of cutting into a true design methodology: thus was born one of the first industrial cutting methods, which laid the foundations for modern pattern making.
The roots of this method are grounded in the rigor of men’s tailoring and the elegance of women’s lines, but from the beginning, its strength has been the ability to combine craftsmanship and product engineering.
From a proportional system based on a few fundamental measurements, all others can be derived, making the pattern adaptable to every body type and easily industrialized: a unique balance between precision, efficiency, and creative freedom.
Today, the Secoli Method is much more than a technique:
- It is a cultural and educational approach based on respect for the process, deep knowledge of the product, and the idea that creativity can only be fully expressed when it rests on solid foundations.
- It is the thread that unites tradition and innovation, paper and digital, form and function.
- And it continues to train generations of professionals capable of transforming an intuition into a project, and a project into a garment that speaks the language of Made in Italy.
TRADITION
Istituto Secoli represents a pillar in Italian fashion education. Founded in 1934 in Treviso by Carlo Secoli and strategically relocated to Milan in 1945, in the beating heart of the nascent prêt-à-porter industry, the institute has established itself as an international point of reference. Its reputation is based not only on longevity but on its unwavering dedication to excellence in the fields of pattern making, tailoring, and fashion design.
More than just a school, Secoli is a guardian of the “Made in Italy” culture, understood not as a geographical label, but as a qualitative approach that blends creativity and technical expertise.
The beating heart of the Institute’s educational philosophy lies in the principle you mentioned: the manual component as the foundation of creative autonomy.
This concept deserves further exploration. In an era dominated by digitalization and mass production, Secoli insists on a “craftsmanship” approach in the noblest sense of the term. Manual skill is not seen as a relic of the past, but as the fundamental language through which the designer learns to dialogue with the material.
Innovation
Istituto Secoli is a point of reference for those who want to pursue a career in the fashion system, especially in the field of technical and tailoring design, and boasts a network of collaboration with the most important entities in the fashion industry.
The school distinguishes itself through a solid applied technical method and close collaboration with fashion industries, allowing for continuous innovation in methods and processes.