By Agnete Bay Blichfeldt and Zoe Luna Silveyra. Images by the students in Fashion Styling, Creative Direction & Digital Content and Fashion Styling & Multimedia Intesive at Istituto Marangoni Firenze.
TheCube Archive, located just outside Florence, is a hidden gem housing a spectacular collection of vintage pieces curated by designer Stefano Chiassai. With over 20,000 carefully selected items, the archive serves as a true tribute to the fashion of the past. What makes it truly unique is its focus on menswear, which is a rarity in the vintage fashion world. While women’s sections in thrift shops and vintage boutiques are often overflowing with a variety of items from various decades and styles, menswear is typically limited to a small, repetitive selection of denim, plain shirts, and a handful of blazers. TheCube Archive, on the other hand, offers an exceptional and diverse range, making it a one-of-a-kind destination for vintage fashion enthusiasts.
Why vintage menswear is rare and highly sought after
Womenswear has historically been influenced by fast fashion trends, leading to a constant demand for new items in women’s wardrobes. This has prompted many women to make regular donations to thrift shops while adjusting their looks to current styles. In menswear, however, it wasn’t until recent decades that fast-shifting trends became part of the fashion system. Until the 1980s, menswear was generally not driven by fast-paced style changes or seasonal “it-pieces.” This approach can be seen as more sustainable, as men’s clothing rarely became outdated before it was literally worn out, and garments often didn’t even make it to secondhand stores. TheCube Archive is unique because it curates a collection primarily focused on vintage menswear. The garments are selected with a focus on “outstanding elements,” which can include the cut, fabric, details, or overall style. The archive adopts a non-restrictive approach, incorporating newer productions while also creating its own upcycled pieces. In its exhibition space, TheCube displays 3,000 items from its extensive collection, carefully curated to highlight the aesthetic of past decades while inspiring future fashion collections. Twice a year, the Cube updates its exhibition to align with fashion forecasts and trends, introducing new colour schemes and textile combinations. As a result, the Cube has become a cornerstone in the vintage wear market, regularly attracting designers and fashion stylists in search of inspiration.
Fashion Styling Students at TheCube: A Creative Challenge
Within this dynamic and ever-evolving space, students from the Intensive and Master’s programmes in Fashion Styling and Creative Direction in Florence had the opportunity to explore the archive’s endless possibilities. The guiding theme for their work was Young Rebels, which focused on the influence of the youth generation from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each student created two conceptual outfits, using this framework to streamline their search within TheCube’s vast collection. While the archive prominently features pieces historically linked to men’s fashion, its approach is not limited by gender labels, offering students the freedom to explore style without restrictions. This broad selection of garments was crucial to their creative process, enabling each student to interpret the concept from their own perspective, free from traditional categories. Some students, inspired by fresh references, transformed their initial ideas, relying on their intuition to choose garments. Others meticulously followed their sketches, searching for pieces that matched their designs. A few of them blended both approaches, combining elements of their original vision with unexpected finds that sparked new creative directions.
How Collaboration & Creativity Thrive in Vintage Menswear
What truly stood out was the variety of approaches that each student brought to the process. Some had a clear vision from the start, while others navigated the overwhelming yet exciting selection of options—from iconic vintage pieces to unexpected accessories—discovering their path through exploration. Ultimately, every student successfully created two final looks, which were then photographed against the white backdrop on TheCube’s second floor or in corners of the space that beautifully complemented their styling choices. Beyond the individual challenge, the day was filled with a strong spirit of collaboration. Students rallied around each other in choosing garments, assembling outfits, and even modelling for one another. Some had prior modelling experience, while others tried it for the first time, fully enjoying the creative process and making the most of the resources available. It was a collective exercise in creativity—an inspiring exchange of ideas that made the experience not only enriching but truly memorable. And though both the theme and garments were from the past, the stylistic outcomes were undeniably contemporary.
