Put This On Explores the Craft Industry in Milan

“What happens when a hundred artisans become a few global megacompanies?” That’s the question that informs the latest video installment from Put This On as Jesse Thorn travels to Milan to talk on-on-one with the small-scale artisans “who work in the shadow of fashion conglomerates.” Thorn sits down with cobbler Antonio Pio Mele who, while grateful for the work he gets crafting samples for some of the world’s major fashion houses, expresses some of the downsides – late paychecks and false “bespoke” operations – of working alongside fashion’s majors. Scholar Alex Pietrogiacomi also provides some context while photographer Simone Falcetta explains the ways in which consolidation has negatively impacted the world of fashion. Finally, Pino Pipoli and Dave Hill offer insights to Thorn before Valentina Galbiati takes viewers on a guided tour of much-loved Milan boutique 10 Corso Como.