MILAN — Alberta Ferretti has confirmed it is going to go ahead with its resort 2024 runway show on Friday at Castel Sismondo in Rimini, within the Emilia-Romagna region that has been hit by widespread flooding that caused a minimum of 14 deaths and left hundreds of individuals homeless.

An announcement released by the brand’s parent company Aeffe Group on Tuesday said the choice got here after careful consideration and in agreement with the mayor of Rimini, in addition to national institutions.

“Aware of the dramatic impact of the tragedy that has hit hundreds of families and corporations in its territory, the Aeffe Group and the institutions firmly imagine within the importance of demonstrating the resilience of the Romagna region, that, with its population, has shown on many occasions to treasure the strength to beat probably the most dramatic moments,” continued the statement. 

“Immediately we’re working on the show in an environment of great sadness for what is occurring around us, a couple of kilometers from our homes and our company,” said Alberta Ferretti. “I asked myself many questions in nowadays. I actually have to confess that I seriously considered taking a step back by canceling the event. But then, after long discussions with the institutions, to which all my esteem goes for the way they’re managing the emergency, I understood how our event could spread a very important message of positivity.”

As reported, the show can have ties also with the world of cinema as it is going to pay tribute to legendary director Federico Fellini and will likely be fittingly staged on the Fellini museum at Castel Sismondo in the town’s historic center.

“The organization behind a fashion show and a global event just like the one we’re about to stage is big and complicated, and involves many individuals who’ve been working on the project for months. Many local professionals are collaborating with us presently and today greater than ever it will be important to respect the commitment we’ve made to them, fueling a virtuous cycle of recovery and restart of the varied economic activities in the world,” added the designer.

Specifically, the Alberta Ferretti brand said it intends to send a message and mark a moment of restart for the Riviera Romagnola within the leadup to the summer season, which is a key period for an area where tourism is among the many pillars of its economy. 

“I think that creativity and sweetness today are really instrumental to stimulate that positivity and optimism that the people of Romagna have at all times cultivated in a welcoming and warm atmosphere. I hope that with this event we may reveal to the international public that Emilia-Romagna is fighting on the front line to rebuild what the ability of nature has destroyed and is preparing to welcome the numerous tourists who visit our cities and beaches every season with pride and determination,” Ferretti said.

“Rimini and the Romagna region want to start out again after the immense tragedy that struck their body and soul. We’re all rolling up our sleeves, day and night, to be able to be what we’re known for: Italy’s most welcoming and friendly hosts,” said Jamil Sadegholvaad, mayor of Rimini. “For us, starting again means returning to trust since it is figure and security for tons of of hundreds of families and other people. We thank the Aeffe Group for offering us the chance to look ahead in the following days, the following weeks, the following months. We desperately must return to [normality].”

Along with confirming the show, Aeffe Group said it is going to make a donation benefiting associations energetic in the world in addition to organize a charity auction for top clients of Alberta Ferretti’s special archival pieces. The proceeds of the auction will add to those from the sale of a special T-shirt and can entirely go to charity. 

On the company front, Aeffe Group — which also counts the Moschino, Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini and Pollini brands in its portfolio — has reached an agreement with its employees to donate the equivalent of 1 hour’s work, with the corporate making an extra donation of equal value.

As reported, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Kering and automotive giant Ferrari also made donations prior to now few days. While the 2 French luxury groups didn’t disclose the sum, Ferrari said it has donated 1 million euros to the regional civil protection agency.

Going down 11 years after the Emilia-Romagna region was struck by back-to-back earthquakes in 2012, last week’s exceptional rainfall is believed to have equaled half the annual average.

Because of this of the floods, tons of of roads and bridges became unusable, with some towns cut off completely, and a minimum of 36,000 people have been left homeless.

Emergency staff, including local volunteers, are clearing streets of mud and although rainfall over the weekend didn’t top levels of the past few days, the region stays in emergency mode.

Emilia Romagna plays a central role in Italy’s fashion and sweetness supply chain and includes company corresponding to the Max Mara Fashion Group, Sergio Rossi, Giuseppe Zanotti and Casadei to call a couple of.