Workwear, Stazione Leopolda

On my way to Vintage Selection (more on this in a moment) I stumbled upon Workwear, an exhibition at the Stazione Leopolda. This Stazione was built in 1841 as a railroad station that was later converted into a maintenance shop for rolling stock. Today it is only used for exhibitions and fashion shows but maintains its original structure and architecture. "Workwear" featured 300 work suits ranging from fireproof suits in multilayered fiber to diving suits, from space suits to firemen's uniforms, from fishermen's suits to nurse's uniforms.

The clothing and protective accessories were displayed on freight pallets, and wood and metal workbenches. What I found most interesting about the exhibition is a. there was no publicity for it whatsoever anywhere in Firenze or online, and b. the interaction of the materials with the space. This place is incredible and the photos do not do it justice. I regret that I did not take more, but am thankful that I did not get kicked out for taking the ones that I did.

The purpose of the project is to illustrate how functional aesthetics of work clothes, developed to move with the body and protect it, continue to provide an endless source of fashion inspiration. It was so appropriate then, to walk next door and visit the 42 vintage shops that set up shop...