ITALY WORK IS A DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC FOUNDED ON

In La Macchina del vento (“The Wind Machine”) – a fine book by the Italian author Wu Ming 1 that celebrates the island of Ventotene, the birthplace of the European dream – one reads: “In Greek myth, Italy’s seas are always open and limitless spaces, and sailing them is a chance for unexpected and surprising encounters between people of different cultures and ethnicities, between humans and divinities, between humans, animals and monsters.” The book goes on to say that these encounters are sometimes marked by conflict, but mostly by a spirit of hospitality and a willingness to intermix. After all, a guest is sacred to the gods.

If there’s one place that encapsulates our times – the gloomy months we’ve just lived through – I think it is that stretch of ancient sea between Sicily and the African coast. If there’s a story of hospitality and willingness that’s worth telling, it’s the tale of Sicilian fishermen who many times in recent years have chosen to set aside their work, and with it their own interests, to rescue boatloads of weary migrants adrift on the open sea. They have done so without the support of, and in the face of disapproval from, institutions of neighbouring countries.

As with all stories, here too we must be careful to avoid an overload of symbolism. Among the crews of these boats, there are certainly those who have acted less than admirably, some who may have chosen to look the other way, or others who were perhaps thinking of some personal gain. However, while speaking in the Italian Senate recently, Liliana Segre – one of the last living witnesses of the horrors of the Shoah – reminded us that whoever saves a single life saves the whole world.

And those fishermen have saved hundreds of lives. For this reason, we wanted to dedicate one of this issue’s covers to their stories. In my view, the point lies in the fact that these sailors haven’t made a radical or shattering life choice. Rather, one day they simply found themselves in the position to make a decision, and they chose to haul in their nets, change course and save people’s lives. And they paid for it out of their own pockets, losing a day’s earnings, sometimes their safety, or even their personal liberty. Whatever we relinquish always gives weight to our choices.

We wanted to include their story (page 86) as an introduction to this issue, which is entirely dedicated to work. At a time when work is changing, transforming, dematerialising and increasingly often disappearing, we think it’s right even for a fashion magazine like L’Uomo to pay this topic some special attention. With this in mind, we’ve introduced a new section called Workplace, which brings together ideas, experiences and tools intended for young people who dream of entering the fashion world. The theme of work also features in the rest of the magazine, where you’ll find advice from world-renowned creatives (page 109); stories of people who are able to change other people’s professional lives (the mentors on page 100); recollections of first jobs (page 104); and a series of tributes to apparently “minor” professions (page 70) that, however, have allowed some of the greatest names in our industry to become who they are today. Between the lines there’s a message we feel strongly about, and I hope it comes across loud and clear: every job done well, and with passion, has the same dignity and deserves the same pride.