Polimoda opens up to the world of food styling

Michelin-starred chefs and fashion creatives unite in the new course of the Florentine school

Polimoda opens up to the world of food styling, in a contamination of aesthetic canons between fashion and cuisine that have beauty, high quality and creativity as common denominators. Thanks to the collaboration between star chefs and designers, stylists and fashion trend forecasters, a new interpretation of the pleasure of food is born where aesthetics and style play a fundamental role.

"Just as fashion guides our choices in the way we dress, so does the styling of food and table determine our taste in gourmandise," explains Massimiliano Giornetti, director of Polimoda. "When dressing is no longer just dressing and eating is no longer just eating, the appearance and beauty of a dish become as important as its taste. People today identify with a lifestyle and are increasingly looking for a totalising experience that represents them in the round. Hence, apparently separate worlds find new contaminations, lending themselves to canons, suggestions and experiments".

Haute cuisine and fashion, in particular, are linked by many common details. Both are art forms, the result of a creative fusion of colours, shapes, combinations, emotions and imagination. Just like the outfits we choose to wear, what we eat is intrinsically linked to the expression of individual personality and the experience of a lifestyle.

The rules of fashion and design are therefore also imposed on the food scene, whereby mise-en-place and looks of dishes are proposed in line with the latest trends, while chefs study trends to anticipate new styles and techniques of dish presentation. The preparations, even before being tasted, are immortalised, shared and commented on social media, with the aim of surprising, fascinating and seducing.

Thus, the first Food Styling course combining the aesthetics of fashion with the pleasure of good food was born in Florence, the home of Made in Italy fashion and a gastronomic paradise for lovers of taste. Conceived for international restaurant and hôtellerie chefs who wish to broaden their horizons, the intensive course designed by Polimoda will see the participation of three-Michelin-starred chefs Mauro Uliassi, Enrico and Roberto Cerea and Enrico Bartolini, who will share their wealth of knowledge and skills.

Alongside them, Massimiliano Giornetti, the school's director and internationally renowned creative director, renowned trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort and renowned fashion stylist Serge Girardi will introduce the participants to fashion design, the latest social trends, fashion iconography, the fundamentals of styling and photography.

The new course that fuses sartorial and gastronomic excellence will start in January 2023 at the Polimoda headquarters in Villa Favard, in the heart of Florence, in a full immersion in Italian culture and style that will enhance tables all over the world.