No. 6 (2025): Fashion Technology
Essays

Fashion as Armour: Reinterpreting Protection through Cultural Heritage and Innovation

Pdf
  • Federico Cioli,
  • Giulia Gattuso
Federico Cioli
Dipartimento di Architettura, Università degli Studi di Firenze
Giulia Gattuso
Università degli Studi di Firenze
cover of FH issue 6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3697

Published 30-05-2026

Keywords

  • Digital Heritage,
  • 3D Printing,
  • 3D Modelling,
  • Digitalisation,
  • 3DeVOK MT

How to Cite

Cioli, F., & Gattuso, G. (2026). Fashion as Armour: Reinterpreting Protection through Cultural Heritage and Innovation. Fashion Highlight, (6), 106–117. https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3697

Copyright (c) 2026 Federico Cioli, Giulia Gattuso

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This essay explores the evolving relationship between fashion, material culture, and digital technology through the conceptual and formal legacy of historical armour. Positioning clothing as a symbolic and communicative system, the study interprets armour as a paradigmatic object – simultaneously protective, aesthetic, and identity-forming. A critical historical and semiotic analysis of selected European armours from the Stibbert Museum in Florence investigates their material composition, craftsmanship, and cultural significance, identifying them as early examples of wearable design where function and ornament converge. This historical inquiry
is complemented by an experimental application of 3D laser scanning on reflective metal surfaces, assessing the potential of digital technologies to document, preserve, and reinterpret heritage artefacts. These research phases inform a design-led practice that translates the symbolic and structural qualities of armour into a contemporary fashion collection. Employing advanced materials, modular construction, and digital fabrication, such as 3D modelling and printing, the garments propose an adaptive, emotionally responsive model of protection. This interdisciplinary investigation highlights fashion’s potential to function as a dynamic interface
between cultural heritage and technological innovation, positioning it as a medium for both continuity and transformation in the construction of identity. 

Pdf

References

  1. Almond, K. (2019). An analysis of the shoulder pad in female fashion. In Fashion, Style & Popular Culture, Vol. 6, Issue 1, pp. 31-47.
  2. Barthes, R. (2006). Il senso della moda. Forme e significati dell’abbigliamento. Torino: Einaudi.
  3. Becattini, M. (2010). Il Museo Stibbert / The Stibbert Museum. Livorno: Sillabe.
  4. Boccia L. G., & Probst S. E. L. (2004). La cavalcata: Museo Stibbert Firenze. Firenze: Edizioni Polistampa.
  5. Breiding, D. (2004). Fashion in European Armor. In The Met. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/fashion-in-european-armor
  6. Breiding, D. H. (2003a). Techniques of decoration on arms and armor. In The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/techniques-of-decoration-on-arms-and-armor
  7. Breiding, D. H. (2003b). The Decoration of European Armor. In The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-decoration-of-european-armor
  8. Cabrices, S. (2022). Quando la moda diventa armatura. In NSS Magazine. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.nssmag.com/it/fashion/31403/moda-armatura
  9. Cardo, G. (2024). La storia del corpetto scultura di Issey Miyake. In Harper’s Bazaar. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.harpersbazaar.com/it/moda/tendenze/a63091372/corpetto-issey-miyake-storia/
  10. DiCarlo, A. (2022). Fashion Is Armour. In Chaarmz Magazine. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.chaarmzmagazine.com/post/fashion-is-armour?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  11. Fabbri, F. (2021). La moda contemporanea, Volume II. Arte e stile dagli anni Sessanta alle ultime tendenze. Torino: Eniaudi.
  12. Guerisoli, A. (2024). Storia degli abiti in metallo, Armatura da guerra e da nightlife. In NSS Magazine. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.nssmag.com/it/fashion/37446/moda-metal-lica-evoluzione-armatura-cinema-passerelle
  13. Kim, T., Hwang, J., Park, G.Y., Lee, M. W. (2023). Innovativeness in tradition: a comparative study of traditional leather armour scales and modern materials. In Fash Text 10, 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-023-00341-z
  14. Krause, S. (2017, Luglio). Armor – Fashion in steel and silk. In CODART eZine, (9), Summer 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.codart.nl/feature/curators-collection/armor-fashion-in-steel-and-silk/
  15. Mariani, V. (2022, 1 luglio). La storia di Paco Rabanne, il metallurgico della moda. In Harper’s Bazaar. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.harpersbazaar.com/it/moda/tendenze/a40434217/paco-rabanne-stilista-storia/
  16. Parrinello, S., Dell’Amico, A. (2019). The traditional crafts of the native americans procedures of survey and documentation for the creation of informative systems 3D. In Empler, T., Quinci, F., Valenti, G. M. (ed.) 3D Modeling & BIM.
  17. Rall, N. D. (2014). Fashion & War in Popular Culture. Intellect Books.
  18. Schactler, C. C., (2022). Renaissance Armour as an Inspiration for 21st Century Clothing Design. In International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings, 79(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.15934
  19. Smelik, A. (2018). New materialism: A theoretical framework for fashion in the age of technological innovation. In International Journal of Fashion Studies (INFS), Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 33-54.
  20. Thomas, B., Gamber, O., & Schedelmann, H. (1974). Armi e armature europee. Milano: Bramante Editrice.
  21. Trevisson Zardini, S. (2024). L’armatura e il suo fascino protettivo sulle passerelle di moda. Quando la corazza si trasforma in decorazione. In Harper’s Bazaar. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.harpersbazaar.com/it/moda/storie/a46209077/armatura-storia-moda/
  22. Vandi, A., Bertola, P. & Suh, E. (2024). Human-computer interactions to rematrialise fashion heritage artefacts. In Iannilli, V. M., Spagnoli, A. (ed.). Fashion Highlight Journal, No. 03 – June 2024, pp. 68-78.
  23. V&A Museum of Art (2023). Dressed to kill – fashion and armour. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/fashion-and-armour
  24. Villanova, O. (2023, 9 agosto). Armor & fashion: speculative inspiration. In Telfair Museums. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://www.telfair.org/article/speculative-inspirations/

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.