CouLture Migrante came about in 2018 from a tailoring training project and was designed to provide a practical response to the migrant emergency in Como. In just a short time, the workshop began to turn into a long-term structured project aimed at involving and empowering female and male asylum seekers in close collaboration with other organisations and enitities in the area. Today, CouLture Migrante's twin driving forces work towards a single objective, that of creating a new social fabric that brings together Italians and foreigners, locals and migrants, in a synergic and inclusive relationship.
The first of these two core drivers of the project consists in the comprehensive training courses that not only teach tailoring skills and achieve job placement, but also foster social inclusion for asylum seekers by meeting their various needs. These include learning the language and finding housing with the help of other local authorities and institutions. Numerous companies in the Como area outsource work to CouLture Migrante, some forging ongoing relationships and others engaging with occasional work projects. Together they provide opportunities for growth for the Como workshop tailors who are given the chance to try their hand at many different processes and techniques.
The second driver for the project is in-house production of bags, backpacks, headbands and book covers for the CouLture Migrante line, which has in recent years has gained great acclaim both for the originality of its design and for its social mission. All the fabrics used to make CouLture Migrante branded accessories, whether they use jersey, leather or technical fabrics, come from the stock of local companies, while the other components such as zips, straps, and buckles and so on, are purchased from suppliers that are picked out on the basis of ethical and quality criteria. The good quality of the materials and craftsmanship assure that the products made are durable, though the workshop's tailors are always available to customers in the case of need for repairs or replacements.
The collections, launched in spring and autumn, can be purchased online or at the Corridory Shop in Via Prudenziana, which opened right next to the workshop in 2023. In a charming courtyard just a few steps from the lake and the centre of Como, the tailors and trainees devote themselves with passion and dedication to all stages of design and production, from pattern development and paper patterns to cutting, assembling and tailoring, bringing together age-old artisan traditions, contemporary style and sustainability.