ADDING CULTURE: Polimoda continues to expand its academic offer, this time with the Milanese cultural institution Fondazione Sozzani.
The result of this collaboration is a two-year fashion film and photography course that blends photography, fashion and the visual arts with technical expertise.
The purpose of the course is to train professionals who, within this landscape, do not only focus on the production of images and content, but are also able to merge them according to a holistic and critical approach.
Students will build competencies in photography, filmmaking, narrative writing, production and post-production, alongside a grounding in visual culture and contemporary aesthetics. The main career opportunities for students graduating from this course are fashion photographers, fashion filmmakers, cinematographers, digital image specialists, video editors, production managers and digital content creators.
“Fashion photography is about far more than aesthetics; it is a cultural act, a way of reading the present. Today, in the age of AI-generated imagery, that awareness matters more than ever,” stated Massimiliano Giornetti, director of the Florence-based Polimoda. “Fashion photographers and filmmakers are tastemakers, and their dialogue with designers is what gives fashion its visual language.”
Polimoda students at the Manifattura Campus in Florence.
Courtesy of Polimoda/Marco Gualtieri
Within the program, Fondazione Sozzani will contribute directly through guest lectures, workshops and project-based assignments, as well as visits to the foundation in Milan with access to its exhibition archive and collections. Students will also have the opportunity to engage with industry professionals and curators. Sara Sozzani Maino, the foundation’s creative director, will assist students during the creation of their curriculum and participate in portfolio reviews.
“Nurturing the future of fashion image-making means holding innovation and tradition in the same frame, learning from historical archives and the cultural roots that have shaped taste and style across generations,” Sozzani Maino said.
“It demands a deep sense of responsibility: the ability to turn creative vision into something thoughtful, ethical, and lasting. Technology, from AI to the most advanced digital tools, is a powerful ally, a way to amplify ideas and explore new aesthetics. But it should never replace human creativity or critical thought,” she contended.
The course will kick off in October and run 600 hours per academic year, taught entirely in English. For the inaugural edition, Polimoda is offering two scholarships worth 14,000 euros each — the course costs 14,000 euros a year — to the most deserving students.