Fashion Cultural Foundations: the legitimacy of innovative cultural centres operating at the crossroads of fashion and art

he cultural sector has seen the emergence of a new type of institution during the last decades: the fashion cultural foundation. Luxury fashion brands establish these foundations to pursue a cultural mission based on the promotion of contemporary art. Fashion cultural foundations are a striking case study for several reasons. Firstly, there is a gap in the existing literature about the topic, and academics usually consider the foundations as extensions of luxury brands rather than as autonomous institutions. Secondly, fashion cultural foundations are positioned at the crossroads of fashion and art. This characteristic, together with the fact that they are a relatively new typology of cultural centre, provides the opportunity to study whether fashion cultural foundations could be considered legitimate institutions. The issue of legitimacy is at stake when a new organisation is introduced in the already existing landscape of institutions in a society. The newcomer should demonstrate its legitimacy, namely its credibility, reliability, respectability and trustworthiness, to foster its activity. Moreover, understanding the legitimacy of fashion cultural foundations could help to clarify the doubt about their function: are they centres sincerely dedicated to a cultural mission or are they the extensions of luxury brands aimed at promoting the companies? Demonstrating legitimacy implies the connection of the new organisation to the already existing norms and values of a society (or environment in general terms), as well as a clear explanation of the identity and mission of the institution. In this process, discourse creation is fundamental. For this reason, the study of written material about fashion cultural foundations is at the core of this investigation. The thesis is based on the qualitative content analysis of a sample of 67 articles retrieved from The New York Times about three foundations: Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Fondation Louis Vuitton, and Fondazione Prada. These institutions were chosen because they share some similarities, such as the dedication to contemporary art, the presence of a venue to pursue their activity and their connection with well-known luxury brands. The analysis of the data aims to answer the following research question: How are the contemporary art foundations established by three luxury brands – Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Prada - framed by elite newspapers? The research led to significant findings, which describe fashion cultural foundations as characterized by two inseparable souls: one, artistic, and the other, fashion-related. Furthermore, these institutions are unique, in that they pursue their mission through outstanding venues, they fill an institutional void due to the lack of funds provided for culture, and they are connected to luxury brands, which are acknowledged as the new patrons of the arts.