Fashion Work Library

A library and bookshop in Milan specializing in fashion. Opened by Diego Valisi in July 2000 at via Vigevano 35, it has about 14,000 titles between magazines and trendy books in about 2,000 square feet. A subscription, which costs €58 a year for students and €115 for people working in the industry, allows one to access a rich video library about the collections in Milan, Paris and New York from 1985 up to today. In a reading room with 20 seats it is possible to consult about forty collections of periodicals, for the most part complete: duplicate issues of magazines are on sale at collectors’ prices. A large bookstore supplements the space dedicated to borrowing and reference. In the bookstore, which in June 2003 was moved to a space that is separate but still connected to the library, it is possible to reserve monographs on individual designers as well as picture collages of made-to-measure clothing. The space on via Vigevano is periodically used for photo exhibits, debates, book launches, and fashion presentations.