Nanni Strada: Fashion Design That Liberated the Female Body

Nanni Strada, awarded the Compasso d'Oro for lifetime achievement in 2018, revolutionized fashion by applying design methodology to clothing, treating garments as 'pure elements' akin to architecture. Her work, celebrated in the 2016 Triennale Milano exhibition 'W. Women in Italian Design' curated by Silvana Annicchiarico, introduced techniques like welded seams (1970) and seamless tubular knitwear. Strada's 'metaproject' Il manto e la pelle (1973, with Clino Trini Castelli) produced geometric outerwear and elastic synthetic garments on circular looms, including the Pantysol dress made from repurposed tights. Her Torchons modular travel dresses and wire-free bras for La Perla prioritized comfort and movement, rejecting corsetry and ideal body shapes. Strada's designs, produced by Oriente Cina di Milano through the 1970s-80s, became uniforms for young protesters. She taught at Politecnico di Milano, and her book Lezioni. Moda-Design e cultura del progetto (Lupetti, 2013) outlines her philosophy. Strada's approach, described by Tommaso Trini in Domus (May 1972) as 'abitare l'abito' (inhabiting the garment), positioned fashion as a tool for women's liberation, using synthetic fibers to free bodies from constraints.