Within the Research “Digiknit: digitization of the most important historical collection of Made in Italy knitted garments, for the development of innovative digital services able to encourage the creative process and breathe new life into manufacturing within the knitwear sector” co-financed by Regione Lombardia as part of the “Smart Fashion and Design” programme, one of the final phases provides for the organization of an exhibition that could highlight the cultural value of the MF1 business archive.
This is why the exhibition “Maglia, Punto. Forty years of hidden treasures from MF1 archive” was born, to present part of the results of the research carried out with the collaboration between the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano, the knitwear factory MF1, and Power App, with the aim to promote the use, knowledge, accessibility of the archive, as well as to highlight all those aspects of design, production and research given by MF1 to the most important brands of Made in Italy, and more. Along the exhibition itinerary, which shows 70 out of the 7500 garments in MF1 archive, the visitor will have the opportunity to interact with the digitized archive: a platform, accessible from desktop and mobile, which shows photos and details of the archived garments. Very important for the research has been the digitization process of all the material present in MF1, in order to make it easier to be consulted both by professionals and by young designers, consultants, journalists, students interested in knitwear by profession or simple passion. Thanks to the platform it is possible to have real-time information on the garments of the archive, simply by searching for their code on the app. The app gives detailed information about each garment, its history and how it was made. The platform also lets you personally rate the garments and create a favorites list, so that everyone could use the material inside it in a contemporary and innovative way. The digitization is the testimony of how the creation and development of innovative digital services allow the user to understand the historical, cultural, as well as technical value of the products stored within a company, and to use history as a tool for actuality and innovation for the creation of contemporary products.
