Founded in 1982 from the Domus magazine, Domus Academy has created a method to prepare the designer of the future through multiculturalism, identities, and upcycling
The first post-graduate design academy in Italy
Domus Academy was founded in Milan in 1982 by the desire of Mazzocchi’s family. The academy was the first in Italy with an international program, and its purpose was to become an open venture for fashion and design. Among the professors, the institute could rely upon figures like Ettore Sottsass, Mario Bellini, Andrea Branzi, or Alberto Meda, designers that disrupted the Milanese panorama.
Known for their bright colors and geometric forms that took on a kitsch quality at a glance, they belonged to the Alchemia and Memphis groups, two Italian design and architecture collectives. Inside Domus, they proposed a teaching method based on the interaction between designers and students.
Domus Academy: a hotspot where people design for the future
Ninety-three percent of their students are foreign scholars, making them the first Italian academy of this kind. This helped create a multicutiral atmosphere inside the institution that – according to management – promoted a hotspot where people design the future. Today the Academy is ruled by Mr. Lospennato as Managing director and offers courses related to design, fashion, experience, and business.
With these aspects in mind, QS World University Rankings selected Domus Academy among the top three design schools in Italy and one of the best hundreds of arts and design universities worldwide for the year 2022. This is the latest achievement for Domus Academy, which followed the Premio Compasso d’Oro in 1994 for the quality of its research and the Special Badge of Excellence in Learning Experience in 2019 by The Business of Fashion.
Domus magazine: design and architecture
It was at the beginning of 1928 when Gio Ponti founded an editorial dedicated to design and architecture. And just like that, Domus was born as an informative magazine that promoted house and interior design that followed the field innovations of its time. Within a year, Gianni Mazzocchi acquired the magazine as part of his Editoriale Domus publishing house. Today, the publishing house still owns the journal and maintains monthly publications.
In the last century, Domus managed to add different topics inside its magazines, such as decorative arts, industrial design, arts, graphic design, advertising, and editorial communication design, all from a global perspective. These aspects were later translated into Domus Academy. The journal also defined the goals that the academy would later share: the significance of aesthetics and style as fields for the industrial revolutions.
Italy: European leader in the design industry
Study design has gained more relevance in the last decade. The results of the Digital Economy 2022 research, run by Symbola foundation in coordination with the Design department of Milan Polytechnic. In this study, Italy was found to be the European leader in the design industry, generating more than two billion euros in sales. With fifty-seven percent of design firms and fourteen percent of Italian employees based in Milan, it has become the design capital.
With those data by hand, Domus Academy has planned its strategy for the future. Through research and the creation of projects coordinated with leading Italian design industries, their learning method Learning by Designing introduces students to the field of design through the process of research and creation. As a result, Domus Academy’s scholars will have a better chance of being noticed by design playmakers. As an added benefit, all of these experiences are cross-disciplinary in order to teach critical and innovative thinking. There will, however, be more challenges to face in the future.
As designers have always been inherently linked to social and political issues, the Domus Academy understands the necessity of preparing the future professionals. For this reason, subjects inside the academy focus on multiculturalism, collective liability, and inclusion.
Identities: Domus Academy’s fashion show 2022
On Saturday, November fifth, Domus Academy took part in this year’s edition of Fashion Graduate Italia, the fashion week dedicated to Italian and international fashion talent. This year the academy has brought Andrea Lolato, Caterina Gianni, Greta Bartolozzi, Xin Zhao, Yingyi Lu, and Ilayda Gurcan to showcase their styles on the runway.
To open the catwalk was Mrs. Zhao, with her collection Digital Nomad inspired by the Italian couturier Gianfranco Ferré and his use of geometric forms. Secondly, Mrs. Bartolozzi’s Noumenon line inspired by Fontana and Burri’s paintings. Then it was the turn of Mrs. Gurcan with six outfits dedicated to the rise of the metaverse. Next up, was Mr. Lolato with Kecho, a capsule collection based on Maasai culture and closing the runway was, Mrs. Lu, with Dark nightmare of the blind outfits that blink at the work of Chiharu Shiota, and Mrs. Gianni with Meraki, a street-wear collection realized by abandoned sails’ fabrics.
The students handcrafted all the garments and designed them to be long-lasting, using heart-friendly materials or upcycled from remaining stocks. Therefore everything was united by the ideas of identities and to explore different cultures and think about how in the future they will interact. One more time, this runway has shown why preparing young talent and being aware that their work will provide solutions for a better world.
Adi Design Index 2022: Young Talent Awards
Every year, the Permanent Design Observatory nominates the most innovative design creations made within the year. The team is part of the ADI foundation and comprises critics, historians, designers, and journalists. All projects selected will be mentioned in the ADI Design Index, the yearbook dedicated to innovations in the field of design. In the latest index were also named two projects of the students of the Domus Academy.
Firstly, there is Carl, created by Elena Candeliere, Nicholas Aron, and Wiphawee Maneengarm. Carl is a device designed to entertain children during their hospital stay. The product was realized in collaboration with Experientia, an international agency specializing in UX research and service design, during their workshop with Domus Academy in 2020.
The second project is Takomst by Wen-Heng Chang, a former Product Design Student at Domus Academy. The project is a Portable education and learning assistance kit, capable of project learning interactive experience through 6G technology and 3D wearable device.
Entering the ADI Design Index is more than a recognition. In fact, by being on the list, the two projects can now compete to win the Premio Compasso d’Oro 2024.
Domus Academy
Domus Academy was born in 1982 based in Milano from the design magazine Domus and its mission was to be an open venture for design and fashion. Its programs offer post-graduate courses based on the method of “learning by designing”, where students learn how to develop strategies to predict future scenarios. Over the years, Domus Academy has earned different awards, such as Premio Compasso d’Oro for the quality of its research and the Special Badge of Excellence in Learning Experience by The Business of Fashion.
