The Altagamma Foundation’s international network opens its stateside chapter with its conference on future trends in creativity
New York, May 31st, 2022 – After Holland and China, Altagamma’s networking project comes to the US with the launch of the Altagamma Club New York, which aims to promote Italian creativity, excellence, quality and lifestyle in the United States, a key market for the Italian luxury industry.
The first meeting of the Altagamma Club in New York was devoted to the US edition of NEXT DESIGN PERSPECTIVES, the Foundation’s conference devoted to future trends in creativity and design – in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and ICE – the Agency for the Promotion and Internationalization of Italian companies – which took place on Wednesday, May 31st at the Lamborghini Lounge NYC, the exclusive, invite-only brand destination in the Chelsea arts district from this Altagamma member, showcasing Italian automotive excellence.
The network of Altagamma Clubs is part of the framework agreement between the Foundation and the MAECI to promote Italian luxury around the world. The Altagamma Club New York will give the country managers of our member companies the opportunity to work on joint initiatives and storytelling activities together.
According to Matteo Lunelli, Chairman of Altagamma: “The US are an increasingly crucial market for high-end companies. In 2021, America was the largest market for personal luxury goods, worth 89 billion euros and representing 31% of the global turnover. American consumers have always loved the Italian style and the quality of our products: they are extremely knowledgeable consumers who have always stimulated our creativity. It is our hope that the Altagamma Club New York will facilitate networking among managers of Altagamma Members and that its work will strengthen economic, political and social relations between our countries, helping promote Italian-made excellence in the USA”.
The coordinator of the Altagamma Club New York is Luca Lo Curzio, CEO North America for Ermenegildo Zegna Group, who will work closely with Lelio Gavazza, Executive Vice President for Sales and Retail for Bulgari and the coordinator of the various Altagamma Clubs, and with Italy’s diplomatic/consular network in the States.
The New York edition of NEXT DESIGN PERSPECTIVES, devoted to the American business community and media, follows on from the Milan launch in October 2021 and the Shanghai edition in November 2021. The final leg will be the plenary conference being held on October 27th, 2022 at the Milan Triennale.
The event was opened by Matteo Lunelli, Chairman of Altagamma, Cesare Bieller, Deputy Consul General, and Luca Lo Curzio, Coordinator of the Altagamma Club New York. The Creative Director of WGSN Lisa White illustrated five future social, cultural and creative trends that are already influencing the work of luxury brands. David Kelly, Chief Global Strategist of J.P. Morgan, provided key insights into the US high end market.
As noted by Cesare Bieller, Deputy Consul General: “The New York market has traditionally been a landing stage for Italian luxury brands, and is also a gateway to the entire United States. The current international context necessarily augments our companies’ interest in the opportunities offered by a city that has such a deep connection to the Italian lifestyle, known for its excellence, style and creativity. I therefore welcome the launch of the Altagamma Club in New York, and am certain that it will become a point of reference for Italian-made quality”.
The topics that emerged during the meeting were commented and expanded on by Lelio Gavazza, Executive Vice President Sales and Retail for Bulgari and General Coordinator of Altagamma Club, Luca Lo Curzio, CEO North America for Ermenegildo Zegna Group and Coordinator of Altagamma Club New York during the panel discussion moderated by Stefania Lazzaroni, General Manager of Altagamma.
Lisa White of WGSN presented the five emerging trends of creativity:
1. SUPERNATURE – Advances in engineered and waste materials and products will help conserve natural resources and spark innovation
2 MAKING THE METAVERSE – Virtual worlds will expand, driving culture and design and enabling new modes of expression and experience
3. COLLECTIVE AND REGENERATIVE – Brands will take regenerative approaches to sustainability, working collaboratively across industries and in tandem with consumers
4. HEALING AS A HABIT– With long-term social, political, environmental and economic challenges, people will be building recuperative rituals into daily practices
5. NEW ALLIANCES – The re-shaping of political, industrial and technological systems will result in a new era of international and local relations
The concept of the third edition of NEXT DESIGN PERSPECTIVES is Design in Flux: Emotional, Sensorial, Other-than-human.
“Entitled Design in Flux, the program looks at how design, a characteristically exploratory practice, can enhance human experience, and its ability to navigate the depths of perception and today’s radically expanded, interconnected world of knowledge, in a sensory, emotional, “non-human” universe. On October 27th at Milan Triennale we will be talking about forms of action and mindset in contemporary design that operate in a fluid, idealistic and radically collaborative way, and are therefore necessarily inclusive, holistic and sustainable, guided by feeling”.
Beatrice Leanza, curator of Next Design Perspectives 2021/2022
BEATRICE LEANZA
CURATOR, 3RD EDITION OF NEXT DESIGN PERSPECTIVES
Cultural strategist, curator and critic with a background in Asian Studies at Ca’ Foscari University (Venice), specializing in Asian art, Beatrice Leanza was based in Beijing for over 17 years, where she was creative director of Beijing Design Week and co-founded The Global School, China’s first independent institute for design and creative research. She has also been the executive director of the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (maat) in Lisbon. Her writings and projects have appeared in publications like Artforum, Abitare, CNN Style, Domus, Dezeen, Disegno, Frieze, T Magazine, Flash Art Intl’, The Good Life, and many more. She is a member of the international advisory board of the Design Trust (Hong Kong) and was selected as a Young European Leader, Class of 2018, by the Friends of Europe Foundation in Brussels.
FONDAZIONE ALTAGAMMA
Founded in 1992, Altagamma gathers Italy’s top cultural and creative companies, which promote the country’s excellence, distinctive identity and lifestyle worldwide. With a uniquely transversal approach, Altagamma has 25 partners and represents 112 brands from seven different industries: fashion, design, jewelry, food, hospitality, automotive and yacht-building, which together boast more than 10,000 years of history. Altagamma’s mission is to boost the growth and competitiveness of Italy’s cultural and creative companies, thus making an effective contribution to the Italian economy. In a worldwide market worth almost € 1,200 billion, the Italian high-end sector has a turnover of € 126 billion, and accounts for 7.4% of the country’s GDP. 53% of its revenues comes from exports. The sector employs more than 1,900,000 people directly and indirectly.
