The Italian Heritage of Design (IIPM-Publications)

For, the Italian heritage of design that manifests in all things from cars to clothes, probably owes its aesthetic ancestry to when reigned supreme the classicism of culture and creativity. Be it the powerful contours of a Ferrari or the contour-hugging Versace designs; present day Italy’s universal hallmarks may not be very reminiscent of its golden age but as Milton ‘I _ NY’ Glaser (a Fulbright scholar himself from the Academy of Fine Arts, Bologna) suggests, there has been a progression from that of artists practicing design to designers who practice art! Just that the ateliers have shift ed from around Florence and Lombardy to Turin and Milan! In fact, Lorenzo Ramaciotti, general manager of Pininfarina – coveted specialty vehicle makers – drove home the point when he reportedly stated of his fellow-folks, “We’re very individualistic people with taste rooted in the Renaissance. The stereotype of Italy as a land of creative people is true.” And eternal too...

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Source IIPM-Editorial,2006