“The work of Italian designers and architects will continue to be a driving force for innovation in Italy, the United States and the world. New ideas, new materials, new technologies are the way of the future”. With these words, Ambassador Varricchio inaugurated, in Washington, the 4th edition of the Italian Design Day in the World in the United States, dedicated to “Designing the future. Development, Innovation, Sustainability and Beauty”. The opening event “Innovation, Style and Sustainability in Italian Design: Synergies and Opportunities in the U.S. Market”, organized in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) in New York, examined the main trends in the US market and provided interesting insights to support the recovery of a sector strongly linked to Italian culture and industry, which in 2019 exported to the United States $ 3 billion worth of products.
In his speech, Antonino La Spina, Director of the ICE Agency in New York, noted that Italian design industry “is a key component of Italian exports to the US” and that Italian companies offer innovative, sustainable products whose quality is highly appreciated in the United States.
Reflecting on the theme of the Design Day, Ambassador Varricchio noted that “design in English means ‘to draw up plans’, and never as this year – marked by the pandemic – should we leverage creativity, ingenuity, and Italian style to look ahead and prepare for the future”.
The opening event was followed by meetings organized throughout the diplomatic-consular network, in collaboration with ICE offices and Italian Cultural Institutes, in Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. Personalities such as Piero Lissoni, Alba Cappellieri, Gianni Veneziani, Luciana Di Virgilio, Pio and Tito Toso, Ambassadors of Italian Design in the world, attended the events, whose complete program can be downloaded here. In the framework of the Design Day, the splendid catalogue of the “Seguso. Vetri d’Arte” exhibition – where contemporary design meets centuries-old traditions and hosted at Villa Firenze – the Ambassador’s official Residence, is also online for everyone’s enjoyment. Furthermore, attendees will be able to take a virtual tour of “Radical: Italian Design 1965-1985”, The Dennis Freedman Collection housed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (open until November 29th), and watch the delightful “Design in pajamas” videos which feature the stories behind some iconic Italian design products (Fiat 500, Bacio Perugina, and more).
The Italian Design Day in the World is promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in collaboration with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Milan Triennale, the Milan Furniture Fair, ICE Agenzia, Confindustria, the Association for Industrial Design (ADI), the Compasso d’Oro Foundation and Federlegno Arredo with the aim of celebrating the excellence of Italian design, an important part of Italy’s culture and economy, throughout the world.
