34 countries at the 39th WFMT Biella Congress
Day #1 Monday, July 31st
After the registration, the WFMT Committee Meeting was held.
The welcome dinner was held in the magnificent setting of the Oropa shrine, the oldest one dedicated to the worship of Mary, at the center of the natural amphitheater of mountains surrounding Biella.
Day #2, Tuesday, August 1st
The opening ceremony of the 39th WFMT Congress began with the traditional parade of the flags of the participating member states, followed by the welcome speeches of the President of the Federation, Mr Liang-Hung Ho, and the President of Italian Association of Tailors Mr Gaetano Aloisio. A video message from the Vice President of the Council and Minister of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani was broadcasted, who thanked the organizers and promoters of the sartorial art, underlining the will of the Government to make our country increasingly protagonist on the world stage, and wishing to all the participants the greatest success for the initiative.
In the afternoon, the participants have visited the Biella Textile Companies – the Piacenza 1733 and the Drago Lanificio in Biella. The visits were followed by the Dinner, sponsored by Drago Lanificio in Biella, in the Gold Club Living Garden.
Day #3 Wednesday, August 2nd
The Master Tailors have discussed their respective visions of tailoring, participating with passion, from the conference stage, to the discussion on the future of the association. The topic of the conferences focused on The thousand faces of bespoke: the Master Tailors discuss their vision of the sartorial world and The future of the WFMT: forecasts and suggestions.
The interventions on the different ones aroused considerable interest tailoring interpretations by Franz Botré, director responsible for Arbiter, by the German writer Bernhard Roetzel (author of The gentleman. The manual of male elegance) and by Fabio Attanasio, entrepreneur and author of the Scent of Tailoring series.
The intervention of Marzia Taruffi retraced the golden years of the Men’s Fashion Festival in Sanremo.
After a light lunch, the visit to the historic mills of the Vitale Barberis Canonico were organized, followed by the dinner offered by Vitale Barberis Canonico company.
Day #4, Thursday August 3rd
Sustainability was one of the topics addressed in the conference of the Day 4; the Congress highlighted how the tailoring has always been the sector of the most sustainable fashion ever. Took then the representatives of the main companies spoke from Biella, who presented their sustainability initiatives for environmental and social responsibility, focusing on the valorization of the textile heritage of the territory. Conferences focused on One art, different interpretations: the international tailoring told by experts and The sustainability of bespoke.
In that occasion, there were the possibilities to compare different world tailoring technics attending the Buttonholes International Competition.
After a light lunch, there was the International Competitions scoring and the beautiful Italian Designers Fashion Show was set up in the evening in Piazza Cisterna. In that occasion, the nine finalists of the Golden Scissors competition, the Accademia Nazionale dei Sartori storica award, sponsored by Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna & Figli, paraded with the clothes they created during the final week, which saw them work intensely for five days at the Accademia Nazionale dei Sartori in Rome. Lorenzo Macchiaroli, a former student of the Accademia Nazionale dei Sartori’s school, has received the award from Maestro Mario Napolitano, Director of the Competition and Honorary President of the WFMT. He won the Golden Thimble Award, for the best-made suit. Ivan Americano has received the Golden Chalk Award for the best cut. The award has been given by Councilor of Biella Barbara Greggio. The winner of the Golden Scissor 2023 is An Seungjin, who received the award by Alessio Ferracin from Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna & Figli, the official sponsor of the competition.
Afterwards, Maestro Sandro Saroli, Maestro Domenicantonio Carbone and Maestro Lino Callegari have been awarded with the Vita da Sarto Award for their long commitment to the sartorial world.
The Academy Trophy, the most prestigious Award of the National Academy of Tailors, was given to Franco Cologni, the President of the Cologni Foundation and to Mr Liang-Hung Ho, the President of the WFMT.
The Italian Fashion Show was followed by a Gala Dinner, organized by IdeaBiella at Palazzo LaMarmora.
Day #5, Friday August 4th
WFMT Committee and Members Meeting whit the election of the new President of the World Federation of Master Tailors, Maestro Gaetano Aloisio who thanked the participants for their contribution commitment to the success of the 39th Congress of the WFMT, also confirming his own desire to continue the path of renewal of the Federation, carrying out innovative projects and supporting all the associations members of the WFMT. “Today”, he declared, “we have presented the tailoring congress in Biella, and the whole world was impressed from our talent and our abilities. The WFMT is the largest and most united community of master tailors, and I will commit with all my strength, and also with my heart, in doing it become increasingly authoritative and prestigious”.
In the evening, a wonderful International Fashion Show was held in Piazza Cisterna, with 100 tailored suits and dresses, coming from all over the world and brought to Italy for the occasion by their authors, representatives of the ancient bespoke tradition.
Giberto Picchetto Fratin, the Minister for the Environment and Energy Security spoke and awarded Mrs Tseng Yung-Ching from Taiwan with the Golden Needle award for the women category and Mr Lee Chin-Chen, from Taiwan with the Golden Needle award for the men category.
The Button Hole Award winner was Shamim Ansari from India.
The International Fashion show was followed by the Gala dinner at Palazzo Gromo Losa. The dinner was sponsored by Piacenza 1733 and Lanificio Cerruti.
