On the morning of May 12, a delegation of six representatives from the Libera Accademia delle Belle Arti di Firenze (LABA)—a partner institution of Chengdu Textile College—visited the campus for academic exchange. The delegation was led by Professor Carlo Nigi, Chairman of the Board, along with Professor Andrea Nigi, Head of International Relations, and Professor Adriano Tocafondi, Director of the Design Department.

Prof. Ren Yingwei, Party Secretary of Chengdu Textile College, warmly welcomed the guests.

Mr. Ren Yingwei extended a warm welcome to Professor Carlo Nigi and his delegation. He gave an overview of the college’s history and distinctive educational characteristics, noting that Chengdu Textile College, with its 86-year legacy and strong foundation in textile education, places great emphasis on international exchange and actively seeks cooperation with high-quality global institutions.

Since the launch of the Sino-Italian joint program with LABA in 2023, the college has successfully enrolled two cohorts of students. Looking ahead, Mr. Ren expressed hopes for establishing a “Leizu Workshop” in Italy together with LABA to jointly preserve and promote intangible cultural heritage in textiles. By integrating the traditional Shu brocade and Shu embroidery with Italian fashion, both sides aim to foster East-West collaborative development in the field of fashion design.

Professor Carlo Nigi expressed his sincere appreciation for the warm welcome extended by Mr. Ren Yingwei and gave a brief introduction to LABA’s institutional history. He emphasized that LABA highly values its partnership with Chengdu Textile College and looks forward to closer collaboration in broader fields of art and design.

In the future, LABA will establish a dedicated working group to oversee cooperation with Chengdu Textile College, aiming to enhance the management and quality of the joint education program and further deepen institutional collaboration. Professor Nigi also expressed interest in expanding cooperation in faculty and student exchanges, as well as in academic and cultural exchange initiatives.

After the meeting, the LABA delegation visited the Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for the Digital Preservation and Inheritance of Shu Brocade and Shu Embroidery, as well as the training and competition base of the School of Fashion Engineering. They also engaged in a meaningful exchange with student representatives from the Sino-Italian joint program.

Since the launch of the Sino-Italian joint education program with LABA, a total of 82 students have been enrolled. Among them, five students are scheduled to begin their undergraduate studies at LABA in Italy by the end of this year.

The exchange event was also attended by representatives from the college’s Office of Industry-Education Cooperation, the School of Fashion Engineering, and international faculty members from LABA.