{"id":3593,"date":"2026-04-02T17:54:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/?p=3593"},"modified":"2026-04-15T16:54:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T08:54:25","slug":"italian-design-day-2026-celebrates-innovation-sustainability-and-growing-bilateral-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/news\/dall_ambasciata\/2026\/04\/italian-design-day-2026-celebrates-innovation-sustainability-and-growing-bilateral-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Design Day 2026 Celebrates Innovation, Sustainability and Growing Bilateral Collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Italian Design Day 2026 dazzled Malaysia with a celebration of creativity, innovation, and Italian elegance, as part of a global initiative promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Italian Trade Agency. Now in its 10th edition worldwide, the event continues to shine as a premier platform for showcasing the artistry, sophistication, and visionary spirit of Italian design, while fostering dialogue with international creative communities. This year, the celebration took place at the Residence of the Ambassador of Italy in Malaysia, with the support of Italcham (the Italian Chamber of Commerce) and carried the theme \u201cRE-DESIGN. Regenerating spaces, objects, ideas, relationships<\/strong>.\u201d The evening welcomed around 100 distinguished guests, including leaders from industry, academia, and the diplomatic corps, all immersed in the world of Italian design excellence.<\/p>\n

In his address, Ambassador Raffaele Langella<\/strong> highlighted the enduring global significance of the initiative and its strong presence in Malaysia. He emphasized that the theme of regeneration offers \u201can important opportunity to reflect on the role of design and architecture in improving everyday living spaces and the well-being of communities, combining together technological progress, manufacturing and creativity. Italian design continues to balance technological innovation, sustainability, and inclusion\u201d. Ambassador further noted that Italian design\u2019s global prestige reflects a standard of quality that inspires creative industries worldwide, particularly through its ability to integrate both physical and digital design guided by circular economy principles.<\/p>\n

Ambassador Langella also highlighted the strong bilateral ties between Italy and Malaysia, particularly in the cultural and creative sectors, citing the Malaysia Italy Design Institute (MIDI) at Universiti Kuala Lumpur as a key example of collaboration. Established in 2018, UniKL-MIDI represents a strategic platform where Italian design tradition meets Malaysian technical expertise, enabling the transfer of the \u201cMade in Italy\u201d model into local industry and education.<\/p>\n

A highlight of the evening was a seminar on design<\/strong>, featuring invited speakers Professor Giacomo Bertolazzi<\/strong>, Head of the European Institute of Design (IED) in Milan; Mr. Fabrizio Rigolio<\/strong>, founder and creative director of Rizoma srl; and Professor Mohd. Razif Idris<\/strong> of the UniKL-MIDI. The speakers engaged guests in a dynamic exchange on design innovation, education, and industry practices, offering diverse perspectives on shaping sustainable and future-oriented design solutions.<\/p>\n

Mr. Fabrizio Rigolio<\/strong>, founder and chief executive officer of Rizoma srl\u2014a premium Italian brand known for high-end aftermarket motorcycle accessories and bike parts with elegant, minimalist designs, superior quality materials like aluminum, and functional innovation\u2014said: \u201cI have always believed that design is a dialogue between emotion and function. Design is not just what we create\u2014it\u2019s how we challenge the ordinary,\u201d he continued. \u201cTo design is to rethink, to reshape, to rewrite the rules with intention and beauty. Because true style isn\u2019t followed. It\u2019s reinvented.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professor Giacomo Bertolazzi<\/strong>, Head of the design school at Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) Milan, said: \u201cDesign today goes beyond creating objects\u2014it\u2019s about shaping experiences and responding to real human needs. Designers are entrepreneurs of their own talent, transforming ideas into solutions that enhance everyday life. True innovation thrives only when grounded in a strong culture of design.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professor Mohd. Razif Idris<\/strong> said: \u201cDesign is more than aesthetics; it is a bridge between culture, innovation, and community. By integrating Italian expertise with Malaysian creativity, we can inspire new generations of designers to create solutions that are not only beautiful but meaningful and sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the Italian Design Day 2026 programme, Ambassador Langella led a delegation comprising Professor Bertolazzi and Mr. Rigolio on a visit to UniKL-MIDI<\/strong> ahead of the evening\u2019s celebration. The delegation was warmly welcomed by UniKL president Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Azman Senin <\/strong>and UniKL-MIDI Dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Zaid Abu Yazid<\/strong>, who hosted the delegation for a campus tour that highlighted UniKL-MIDI\u2019s role as Malaysia\u2019s leading Higher Technical and Vocational Education and Training (HTVET) institution, renowned for its strong emphasis on industry-driven education, innovation, and technical excellence. During the visit, the delegation engaged in a fruitful exchange with UniKL-MIDI representatives<\/strong>. Discussions focused on further strengthening Malaysia\u2013Italy cooperation in the design sector, particularly in the areas of education, research, and industry partnerships. The visit underscored a shared commitment to nurturing future-ready talent and advancing innovation through the continued integration of Italian design expertise with Malaysia\u2019s dynamic technical capabilities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

Italian companies representing a wid \u00a0e range of design sectors also took part in this year\u2019s event through curated displays of their state-of-the-art products at the venue. Participating brands included Bialetti, Illy, and Smeg<\/strong> (kitchen and industrial design); Boggi, Damiani<\/strong>, and Giorgio Visconti<\/strong> (jewellery and fashion); Dainese<\/strong> and Givi<\/strong> (motorcycle gear); iXoost<\/strong> (sound design); and Minotti<\/strong> (interior design). The exhibition was further enriched by the presence of Malaysian batik artisan Kapten Batik<\/strong>, who delighted guests with a live batik demonstration celebrating the seamless union of Italian design elegance and Malaysian craftsmanship, creating a vibrant and captivating dialogue between two rich creative traditions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PRESS COVERAGE ON THE IDD2026 EVENT:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

BERNAMA, 01.04.2026, “Italian Design Day 2026 shocases innovation sustainability and synergy”<\/a><\/p>\n

BERNAMA, 01.04.2026, “Italy Eyes Stronger Collaboration with Malaysia in Design, Innovation”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Italian Design Day 2026 dazzled Malaysia with a celebration of creativity, innovation, and Italian elegance, as part of a global initiative promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Italian Trade Agency. Now in its 10th edition worldwide, the event continues to shine as […]","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":3571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3593"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3595,"href":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3593\/revisions\/3595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambkualalumpur.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}