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Italian design refers to all forms ofdesign in Italy, includinginterior design,urban design,fashion design, andarchitectural design. Italy is recognized as a worldwide trendsetter and leader in design. The architectLuigi Caccia Dominioni claimed, "Quite simply, we are the best. We have more imagination, more culture, and are better mediators between the past and the future".[1] Italy today still exerts a vast influence on urban design,industrial design, interior design, and fashion design worldwide.[1]
Generally, the term "design" is associated with the age of theIndustrial Revolution, which arrived in Italy during the pre-unification in theKingdom of the Two Sicilies. In the context of Italian design, it is about Italian-born design and development in various fields such as silksSan Leucio and workshopsPietrarsa, shipyards ofCastellammare di Stabia. The rest of Italy was characterized by fragmented political and geographical condition but industrialization was significantly present in other pre-unitary States likeGrand Duchy of Tuscany andSardinia-Piedmont. After theUnification of Italy, despite the slow consolidation of the cotton industry and factories, the country's industrialization was seldom discussed prior to 1870–80.
Italy has produced some of the greatest furniture designers in the world, such asAchille Castiglioni,Gio Ponti, andEttore Sottsass. Italian interior design in the 1900s was particularly well-known and grew to the heights of class and sophistication. At first, in the early 1900s, Italian furniture designers struggled to create an equal balance between classical elegance and modern creativity, and initially, Italian interior design in the 1910s and 1920s was very similar to that of Frenchart deco styles, using exotic materials and creating sumptuous furniture. However, Italian art deco reached its pinnacle underGio Ponti, who made his designs sophisticated, elegant, stylish, refined, modern, exotic and creative. In 1926, a new style of furnishing emerged in Italy, known as "Razionalismo", or "Rationalism". The most successful and famous of the Rationalists were theGruppo 7, led byLuigi Figini,Gino Pollini andGiuseppe Terragni. Their styles used tubular steel and were known as being more plain and simple, and almostFascist in style after c. 1934. AfterWorld War II, however, was the period in which Italy had a trueavant-garde in interior design. With thefall of Fascism, birth of Republic and the 1946 RIMA exhibition, Italian talents in interior decorating were made evident. With theItalian economic miracle, Italy saw a growth in industrial production and mass-made furniture. Yet, the 1960s and 1970s saw Italian interior design reach its pinnacle of stylishness. By that point, with Pop and post-modern interiors, the phrases"Bel Design" and"Linea Italiana" entered the vocabulary of furniture design.[2] In 1972Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) showcased successful Italian design in the exhibitionThe New Domestic Landscape.[3]
Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, the addition of logos increased by notable Italianfashion houses, such asPrada,Versace,Armani,Gucci andMoschino.[1] Examples of classic pieces of Italian furniture includeSacco, by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, Franco Teodoro,Zanussi's rigorous, creative and streamlinedwashing machines andfridges,[1] the "New Tone" sofas by Atrium,[1] and most famously the innovative post-modern bookcase, made by Ettore Sottsass for theMemphis Group in 1981, inspired byBob Dylan's song "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again". The bookcase became a huge cultural icon and design event of the 1980s.[1] Many interior designers use Italian or Italian-inspired pieces.
In addition to furniture design, Italy has also set trends for industrial design with the prototype of the lightLuminator Bernocchi in 1928. TheMoka pot, designed byAlfonso Bialetti, was a ground-breaking design upon its release in 1933, and it continues to be manufactured to this day with few modifications.Olivetti is notable for its office and electronic equipment designs, through collaborations with notable architects and designers, over a nearly 60-year period starting in the late 1930s.[4]
Italy is also very influential in car design, and has produced some of the greateststatus symbols of the century.[1] Theautomobile industry in the nation is a large employer in the country, with a labour force of over 196,000 (2004) working in the industry.[5]Italy is the fifth largest automobile producer inEurope (2006).[6] Over the ages, Italian cars have been recognized worldwide for their stylishness and practicality. Famous Italian cars include theAlfa Romeo convertibles of the 1950s and theFerrari Spider andFerrari Formulasupercars. There are also several symbolic vehicle types which are less luxurious and more mass-market than those cars, such as the iconicFiat Topolino andFiat 500, and the symbolicVespa Piaggio, which became one of the most fashionable and affordable vehicles in Italy afterWorld War II, being first produced in 1946.[1] Italy is also home to world-renowned car design firms such asPininfarina,Zagato,Italdesign, andBertone.
Italian fashion is among the world's most importantfashion designs, alongside those ofFrance,Germany, United States,Great Britain and Japan. Fashion has always been an important part of theculture of Italy, and its society. Italian designs began become one of Europe's main trendsetters ever since the 11th–16th centuries, when artistic development in Italy was at its peak. Cities such asVenice,Milan,Florence andVicenza started to produceluxury goods,hats,cosmetics,jewelry and richfabrics. Between the 17th and early 20th centuries, Italian fashion lost its importance, and Europe's main trendsetter became France, as French fashion began to become hugely popular, ever since luxury dresses began to be designed for the courtiers ofLouis XIV.[7] However, since the 1951–53 fashion soirées held by Giovanni Battista Giorgini in Florence,[8] the "Italian school" started to compete with the Frenchhaute couture, as labels such asFerragamo andGucci began to contend withChanel andDior. Currently, Milan, (Italy's center of design) is considered the truefashion capital of the world, according to the 2009Global Language Monitor, andRome ranked 4th.[9] Both these cities annually compete with other major international centers, such asParis,New York City,London andTokyo.
Examples of major Italian fashion houses are:Gucci,Armani,Emilio Pucci,Emporio Armani,Valentino,Prada,Dolce & Gabbana,Ferragamo,Roberto Cavalli,Trussardi,Versace,Krizia,Etro,Miu Miu,Laura Biagiotti,Max Mara,Fendi,Moschino,Missoni,Benetton andBrioni (fashion),[10] to name a few. Italy also is home to many fashion magazines, such asGrazia,Vogue Italia, Vera,Chi, Gioia and Donna.[11] Other Italian accessory and jewelry brands, such asBulgari are amongst the most important in the world. Milanese companyLuxottica is currently the world's most successful eyewear company, with revenues of €5.202 billion (2008),[12] an operating income of €749.8 million (2008),[12] and a profit of €379.7 million.[12] Commercially, Milan-based fashion design is far more successful than its Parisian rival.[13]Armani is well known for its minimalism and sophisticated style,Versace for its extravagant and ultra-luxurious lines,Gucci for its symbolic chicness and style,Prada for its glitz and glamour,Valentino for its supreme elegance,Dolce & Gabbana for its fantasious and outrageous dresses,Romeo Gigli for its romantic and creative ideas andMoschino for its smart/casual outfits and t-shirts.[1]
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