Personal collections
IED Libraries store and exploit (in accordance with the Guidelines on the treatment of personal collections released by the National Commission of Special Libraries, Archives and Author Libraries of the Italian Libraries Association) special collections consisting of published and/or unpublished book material collected and/or produced by distinguished personalities and received over time as a result of donations by the latter or their heirs. These collections are, by nature, of historical and cultural value.
These collections envisage special methods of treatment and use: the volumes are not included in the lending scheme and are generally stored in closed cabinets or shelves. The assistance of the librarian is, in this case, essential in order to facilitate the user and, above all, to preserve the integrity of the materials.
IED Libraries consider donations and legacies as an important way of increasing and growing the collection.
The Personal Collections acquired by IED are:
Nando Miglio Collection
In 2015 the heirs of the well-known Italian artistic director and fashion show director donated to IED his outstanding collection of over 1200 volumes that have enhanced the heritage of both IED Milano libraries enormously.
The main areas of interest identified were: staging, architecture, furniture, art and museums, graphics, illustration, transport, Venice.
View the titles in the OPAC.
Franca Sozzani Collection
In 2019, the IED Fashion Milan Reading Room received a donation from the son of Franca Sozzani, Francesco Carrozzini, and her niece Sara Sozzani Maino, consisting in around 1,200 volumes belonging to the renowned editor of Vogue Italia, who passed away prematurely in December 2016. The Collection, viewable in OPAC, is classified by topic and consistency with the Accademia Costume & Moda in Rome (there are 2,400 volumes).
Main areas of interest: photography, history of costume, fashion, painting, history of art.
To learn more about the details of the work done on the Collection, read the article, published in "AIB Studi", a library science journal of the Italian Library Association.
View the titles in the OPAC.
GianCarlo Montebello Collection
The Collection, donated and received by IED in 2023 (preserved at the Library in via Sciesa), includes a total of 1180 volumes.
The cataloging project had the primary objective of enhancing the value of each item, respecting the organic nature of the collection and its original order (i.e. the one that had already been adopted by the artist).
The ex libris, which contributed to enhancing the specificity of the volumes, was designed by the IED graphic designer and placed on the title page.
Main areas of interest: contemporary art and jewellery.
The article on the details of the work done on the Collection was published in the journal "Biblioteche Oggi" (Editrice Bibliografica).
View the titles in the OPAC.
Other donations
Imago Mundi
In 2020 the Library of Design, Communication, Visual Arts received a donation from the Luciano Benetton Foundation consisting in the “Imago Mundi” collection of contemporary visual art, for a total of 162 volumes, all accessible in OPAC. Also in this case, the volumes are excluded from the lending scheme, stored in closed cabinets and available for consultation only.
View the titles in the OPAC.
Vanity Fair
In 2024, the bibliographic collection of the IED Milano libraries was significantly expanded thanks to the donation received from Condé Nast Milano, a total of 915 documents, including both monographs and periodicals, which further enrich the resources available to students, faculty, and researchers.
The topics covered are particularly varied and reflect the areas of greatest interest in the world of design and contemporary creativity: from fashion to illustration, including design and graphics.
The new collection is housed on the internal shelves of the Franca Sozzani Fashion Consultation Room.
View the titles in OPAC
For requests to consult the Special Collections, please send us an e-mail at biblio.milano@ied.it.
Read the Regulations for further details on accessing, browsing and reproduction of contents.