Italian Design Day is the annual thematic review launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Farnesina International Cooperation, in collaboration and with the support of the Ministry of Culture. It consists of an extensive program of promotional events around the world, created by the network of Embassies, Consulates, Italian Cultural Institutes, and ICE Offices abroad.
Every year, for this occasion, over 100 testimonials become storytellers of design and the country's creativity. The Italian Design Day has established itself as an effective tool to support the promotion of design and the internationalization of a strategic industrial sector for Italian exports.
The sixth edition of Italian Design Day was held on March 23, 2022. Since 2017, this event has been one of the leading tools to promote design as a distinctive element of “Brand Italia” and to internationalize the production system that originates from it.
The theme chosen for this year was “Ri-Generazione. Design e nuove tecnologie per un futuro sostenibile (Re-Generation. Design and new technologies for a sustainable future),” a theme in line with previous editions and reflecting the growing global focus on sustainability.
The numerous initiatives: conferences, exhibitions and seminars, organized by the diplomatic-consular network, the Italian Cultural Institutes and the ICE Offices involved more than 114 designers, architects, researchers, entrepreneurs, and specialist journalists, in a reflection on the evolution of design within a dynamic and globalized context and on the challenge to which it is called to respond: promoting an ecological transition of our lifestyles through the contribution provided by technological innovation.
Italian Design Day 2022 was promoted and organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as part of the BeIT and Vivere all’Italiana (The Italian Way of Life) initiatives and by the Ministry of Culture, thanks to the contribution of the Directorate General for Contemporary Creativity, in synergy with Fondazione ADI Collezione Compasso d’Oro, ADI Associazione per il Disegno Industriale, ITA ICE Italian Trade Agency, Triennale Milano, Milan Furniture Fair, FederlegnoArredo, and Altagamma.
From the Consulate:
The sixth edition of the Italian Design Day was the perfect occasion for the launch of a four-year campaign to promote Italian Design in Detroit, nominated by UNESCO as a “City of Design” in parallel with the city of Turin.
The participation of the internationally renowned Italian Architect and Designer Roberto Palomba as Ambassador of Italian Design in the world has given impetus to many future projects in the long and short term.
It is with this premise that the Consulate has decided to take part, for the first time, in Detroit Design Month, an event organized to celebrate the importance of design for the city of Detroit. The exhibit will be dubbed "Love IT Detroit," to include both Italy and the reference city (and keep in line with the Be IT campaign).
Thanks to Bedrock, the set-up will take shape in one of the most prestigious venues located right in the heart of the city, 1001 Woodward, in over 1,600 sq. ft. of street-facing space in the main square of Downtown Detroit.
Palomba Serafini Associati studio has designed the exhibition, scheduled for the entire month of September 2022, and will involve the best brands of the Italian scene, highlighting the sectors that most characterize Italian creativity in the world such as fashion, food and beverage, automotive, and the furniture sector.
In parallel with the live event in Detroit, a highly engaging virtual exhibition, where the virtual and real world interact, will be available online. The Love IT Detroit Metaspace, created by Wedoo (an international innovation company with offices in Turin and Rome, as well as Michigan), will be a digital twin of the physical environment and was built using a platform developed in Unreal Engine (the same technology used for video games such as Fortnite). The Love IT Detroit Metaspace will allow guests to "live" an immersive and interactive experience, exploring the key underlying themes. With 24/7 access, visitors will be able to enter the virtual space, interacting with the exhibitions and brands at their own pace truly making this a global event, accessible to all. Visit www.loveitdetroit.com.
In addition to the live installation and the Metaspace, "Pop Up" events are also planned, each with a focus on the various elements of Made in Italy Design: aerospace, mobility, fashion, food and beverage, furniture, graphic and digital arts, and education (thus also providing an invitation to schools and universities).
I am starting a movement. Yes, it is about Italy in Detroit, but it is also to let people know that Detroit is an overlooked city and there is so much good coming from it. I hope you can all come and visit us, in person and in the metaverse.
