Italian design day is in its third edition. On 20 March, excellent Italian projects and products are celebrated through 100 design ambassadors in 100 cities around the world.
The Italian design day has reached its third edition this year and is officially celebrated today, 20 March, around the world according to the established formula of 100 design ambassadors – architects, designers, journalists and directors who will act as international standard-bearers for our country and our "design system" in 100 cities. At the premises of consulates, embassies, Italian cultural institutes and in the showrooms of Italian companies abroad, Italian design will be discussed in all its many facets and across its main productive sectors: from furniture to lighting, from automotive to sport, from food to objects.
The overarching theme of Italian design day 2019 is The city of the future, quality of life and the new frontiers of living. Conferences, exhibitions, talks and films are among the initiatives already taking place across the world thanks to the network of diplomatic and consular offices and Italian cultural institutes. The day dedicated to Italian design, created in 2017 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has placed design at the heart of its "Italian way of living" promotional activities, and has succeeded in establishing itself as an effective tool for showcasing creative expression and, more broadly, the excellence of made in Italy — a true brand recognised and appreciated the world over. It offers an opportunity for great visibility and cultural promotion for Italy and for the entire national furniture and design industry — which holds the world's top position and represents a significant component of the country's economy, with annual revenues in the high-end segment that reached 29 billion euros in 2014, according to Il sole 24 ore.
For the first edition, the format of the day was developed by the Triennale di Milano: all the design ambassadors take part in round tables and conferences with the shared aim, among others, of promoting the video commissioned by the Salone del Mobile from director Matteo Garrone, who became widely known for the film Gomorra and was already the author of the short film Before design: classic. Tradizione nel futuro in 2016, also in collaboration with the Salone del Mobile.
Garrone ventured for the second time into territory that is unfamiliar to him — that of furniture and design products. The video he made, set in natural landscapes, aims to convey the distinctiveness of the Italian way of life, founded on an idea of quality of life that permeates many aspects of living, from food to fashion, from places to a love of beautiful things: something the rest of the world recognises with admiration and no small measure of envy.
This year's experience will also lay the groundwork for next year's edition. The 100 Italian design day ambassadors have in fact been asked to identify examples of excellence and innovation in craft, technology and materials in the country they are visiting, with a view to sharing these findings and exploring possible cross-disciplinary design exchanges. The world day of Italian design will therefore not end with the events of 20 March: recordings of the conferences will feed into a dedicated website to create a large repository of design experiences that will be easy to browse and will continue to grow over the years.
The main cities involved are:
Among the 100 ambassadors are designers Patricia Urquiola, Aldi Cibic, Carlo Colombo, Fabio Novembre, Giulio Iacchetti, Michele De Lucchi, Mario Bellini, Matteo Ragni, Marco Romanelli, Giorgio Vigna and entrepreneurs Patrizia Moroso, Claudi Luti and Rodrigo Rodriquez.