by Marta Leggio
A fabric, a plot that intertwines like lives to be rebuilt. This is the beating heart of Tele di Aracne, a project born in Syracuse that features young people who are leaving criminal circuits. Thanks to artisanal tailoring, these kids have the opportunity to mend their existence, discovering hidden talents and, above all, building a different future.
The opportunity to tell the world about this rebirth was Expo Divinazione 2024, an event included in the G7 Agriculture and Fisheries organized by Francesco Lollobrigida and scheduled until September 29 in Syracuse. Among the many initiatives, the fashion show with the evocative title “Sewing a life together, building the future” was able to move and surprise the public. The clothes presented are not only sartorial creations, but tangible testimonies of a personal and social rebirth.
Tele di Aracne is not just a tailoring workshop: it is a community, a point of reference for young people who are living difficult experiences, linked to deviance and marginalization. The project is hosted in a property confiscated from the mafia, a symbol of an urban regeneration that becomes human rebirth. The artisan tailoring workshop is managed by a network of local partners, including Passwork, CNA, Ermes Comunicazione and the Fondazione Val di Noto, and is funded by the Ministry of the Interior with the support of the Municipality of Syracuse.
The Tele di Aracne tailoring shop is a true creative laboratory where discarded garments, destined for oblivion, are transformed into unique, high-quality pieces. The attention to fine materials and the care in tailoring details allow the clothes to be given new life and, at the same time, offer the young people involved the opportunity to discover manual and creative skills. Here, under the guidance of stylists, artisans and professional tailors, the young people learn a trade and reclaim their identity, often fragmented by experiences of hardship and marginalization.
A place open to all, where young inmates can learn the art of sewing and design, helping to build a supportive and creative network. In this space of sharing and personal growth, each sewn dress tells a story, each woven thread represents a new possibility of redemption.
The Tele di Aracne project is part of a broader vision of social and urban regeneration, which starts from legality and solidarity. The fact that the tailoring shop is located in a property confiscated from the mafia gives it an even stronger symbolic value: what was a sign of illegality and violence has now become a space for creativity, education and hope.
The fashion show, during the Expo Divinazione, showed the public the fruit of this collective work. The clothes, created by the young people, paraded with pride, bringing with them not only the aesthetic value, but also a powerful message of inclusion and rebirth. Creativity thus becomes a tool to put back together the pieces of broken lives, to build a future where the past is no longer a condemnation.
Tele di Aracne shows that even in the most difficult context it is possible to weave new stories of hope and dignity. With this project, Siracusa becomes a concrete example of how art, craftsmanship and solidarity can intertwine to shape a better future for young people and for the entire community.