Rosa Genoni. La Moda è una Cosa Seria. Milano Expo e la Grande Guerra. Fashion is a serious business

Rosa Genoni (Tirano, 1867 - Varese, 1956) was a pioneer in several fields. She was a founding mother of transnational feminism, of peace activism and of the Made in Italy when it was still only beeing imagined. She was the first woman to be awarded the International Jury Prize for her dress designs at the Universal Exposition of Milan held in 1906. Genoni achieved international recognition as a result of her opposition to World War I. She was the Italian delegate at the 1915 First International Women's Conference in the Hague. The first historical and analytical essay, in a bilingual edition, reconstructs the life and career of Rosa Genoni, connecting her multiple activities in the fields of fashion and design and their impact on national identity. The case of Rosa Genoni and the multiplicity of her life allow us to understand the long history of Made in Italy and the relationships between tradition and innovation. To study fashion can revolutionize the writing of history.