By Deepa Babington

ROME (Reuters) - Rome’s new right-wing mayor says he wants to turn the ancient city into a modern hub for budding fashion designers, dismissing criticism that the city’s rich art and culture credentials will take a beating under his command. Gianni Alemanno, a former youth leader of a neo-fascist party, was elected on a law and order ticket and had frequently attacked his centre-left predecessor for focusing on glitz and rolling out the red carpet to stars and musicians. But Alemanno, known more for his tough stance on crime and illegal immigrants, told Reuters he too has an eye for the artistic, but with a focus on substance rather than image. That means encouraging local talent, developing fashion schools and possibly setting up a university faculty focused on fashion in Rome, he said. “I want Rome to become a city of fashion, focusing mainly on young and new designers; seeking a strong and precise character that sets it up as a base for excellence in fashion,” he said on the sidelines of a Gucci fashion show in the city. “I’m trying to be more concrete, to avoid that this is done — as they say in Rome — just transiently, for just image; for me this must be a fact rooted in Roman creation and production.” Former mayor Walter Veltroni was credited with reviving Rome’s cultural scene, partly by starting an international film festival that brought back some of the “Dolce Vita” glamour of the 1950s and 1960s. He also lured fashion designer Valentino back to the capital for a celebratory show last year before retiring.

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