AGOSTINO IACURCI FOR PROPOSTE
After years in which the Exhibition collaborated with representatives of the design world, this year Proposte asked illustrator Agostino Iacurci to design the 2020 image.
Agostino Iacurci, a multidisciplinary artist of Italian origin who lives in Berlin, is famous for his synthetic and surprising shapes and multi-level narratives.
"Fabric and drapes change the home. They create a narrative and describe stories and feelings. They transform spaces and reveal moods in everyday life," explained President Piercarlo Viganò. "Starting from this absolute concept, this year we wanted to entrust an artist with the task of describing and promoting the fundamental importance of the fabric and drapery industry in interior design from a perspective and with a language different from that of design, because illustration is the warmest and most engaging visual communication system in existence. In Agostino Iacurci we found the ideal exponent of this world to synthesize, in an exemplary way, what Proposte 2020 represents."
Today the result of this collaboration is a vibrant and lively new advertising page.
"When I was imagining the Proposte 2020 poster," explained the artist, "I thought of fabrics as a story-telling tool, due to their ability to transform spaces and objects. While I was pondering this idea, I remembered Poltrona di Proust (1978) by Alessandro Mendini and the re-design concept at the origin of that project. I therefore imagined placing at the center of the scene, theatrically crossed by two curtains held open with tie back braids, a classic armchair in which each element – the armrests, back and seat -- had a different fabric and decoration that helped generate the international, multicultural and open identity of the object and the event."
MADE IN PROPOSTE
Our "News": an ongoing contribution to the culture of the sector
The thirtieth anniversary of Proposte is just around the corner and things, in these three decades, have changed quite a bit. No one, when we thought of an Italian event that brought together the best of furnishing fabrics and curtains, could imagine that communications and information would travel at the current speed and on platforms available 24 hours a day to everyone. This real revolution in the way people relate to people, businesses to businesses, puts into circulation a quantity of information that was not even imaginable when our event was born on the shores of Lake Como.
A change that, obviously, affects even the way of putting together a fair and, first and foremost, makes the banner of the event no longer just the organizing brand of an episodic yearly event, but the management of a real repository of sector-specific information and culture that unfolds throughout the entire year between one event and another. All this, of course, mainly through our website – www.propostefair.it – and newsletters, which our company regularly sends to the large specialized community brought together from around the world around our fair brand and our event dedicated to quality furnishings fabric and curtains.
An event, I repeat with pride, that is unique and original in the world.
To keep it that way, the entire system that revolves around Proposte must be kept up to date and relevant and, for that reason, we decided to add an important piece to our work alongside exhibitors and the sector: our website will accept the challenge of no longer being just a repository of information about the existing event but, in its “News” section, it will become a space where articles, interviews, product trends and presentations of collections will be gathered, as well as, of course, written and photographic reports from our spring event. All of this, coordinated and put together by a journalist specialized in the field, will be available on the website but will also reach our readers through our newsletters, in order to provide expert, prepared and up-to-date information on our field of work.
The job of a trade fair is to promote business first of all, but also to create sector-specific culture and knowledge. Today, the tools of the web allow us to do this quickly and efficiently and all this adds one more piece to being a “year-round fair” dedicated to you, who are the soul of the sector all over the world.
So enjoy reading the new “News” on Propostefair.it.
PierCarlo Viganò
President of Proposte Srl
World Fabric Outlook
Paccanelli: “New customer profiles to revitalize exports”
Taking stock of the market situation in our sector, thinking about what actions to carry out and plan in order to be competitive internationally, tackling the challenges of the near future that affect all industrial systems. Issues that make hands tremble and that, if you wanted to dive in deeper, would require a sort of “reflective retreat” that could last several days. We don’t have all that free time and space but we couldn’t resist the temptation to seek out a summary, to establish some set points, from which then to start a comparison and elicit a reflection. Who better then to involve than the manager who represents Italy in the most important European textile forum? So we picked up the phone and called Alberto Paccanelli, CEO of Gruppo Martinelli Ginetto Spa and, most importantly, president of Euratex, or rather the European confederation into which all the national associations of our continent that deal with textile-clothing and home/furnishing textile converge. Being the president of such a body means defending the interests of the sector against the European Union and international organizations; coordinating a team of specialists in the stipulation of international free trade treaties, taking on innovation and training in the sector, planning the future with regard to the sustainability of manufacturing processes and final products. In a nutshell, understanding perfectly the issues that relate to the global textile supply chain, in every detail. We wanted to ask him “everything”, but we started with a few questions to take stock of a delicate situation and of its future: that of furnishing and home textiles.
Q. – A few days ago Claudio Marenzi, president of Confindustria Moda, presented the sector’s numbers for the first half of 2019. All in all positive: exports are growing 7.2% compared to an internal demand that dropped by a couple of points. Obviously the pull effect of the fashion giant is dominant in the good export trend. And the current state of textile arts and furnishing curtains, in the first six months of this year, both in terms of numbers and in terms of effectiveness and consolidation in international markets, from the unparalleled vantage point of Euratex, is what?
A. – I would like to point out an important aspect first of all: the export numbers to which you refer are “pulled” by the clothing/knitwear sector. If we look at the cotton supply chain, in reality the entire textile sector is suffering. In the first seven months of this year the export of furnishing/home textiles decreased by 4.7% overall. But if we read the data in depth we find that the Bed and Bathroom/Kitchen segments are suffering a lot, while there is slight growth in the Table and Furniture segments – in this last “item” there are highly varied products, curtains, rugs/tapestries, carpets, various articles – so, once again, there is no general reason to rejoice but our sector, small compared to our older cousin clothing, is experiencing softer and slower dynamics. It is clear that the situation is not rosy: textiles produce and distribute durable goods, and like all these kinds of products, when there is uncertainty and insecurity in the markets, consumption slows down or even stops. But keep in mind that the particular structure of the downstream supply for the manufacturing of furnishing fabrics and curtains – so articulated and complex – somehow slows down the trends compared to those who, for example, work on the finished product like sheets and directly interact with distribution and consumption. As far as Italy is concerned though, the problem is always the same: competitiveness. The battle, at the level of international markets, plays out increasingly around price and our manufacturers pay for delays in terms of cost competitiveness. I’m not saying anything new but the issue is becoming, as price becomes the most important distinction, urgent because it erodes the essence of the good performance of any company, the right profit margin. Then, in reality, we still have plenty of cards to play: our creativity sustains us, the value chain of our products holds up because they are still coveted and recognized, but the high consumption ranges are a bit squashed and this can’t help but be reflected in the total numbers. Of course, a little more peace and tranquillity on the international stage would certainly help. However, to finish the summary, we can say that the first half of 2019 was not positive but we have the tools to withstand the economic situation.
Q. – Competition on the global market is an indispensable necessity for all companies in the home textile supply chain: what, in your opinion, are the actions that still need to be carried out by the Italian and European industry, to strengthen themselves worldwide?
A. – Placement at the medium/high-high ranges of consumption is increasingly ours, there are no alternatives. We cannot budge from there. As a textile supply chain we must stand our ground in rich markets because that is where we can find our reference clientele and do business with the most adequate earnings possible (even though price is an increasingly important variable, as I said before, and the question of margins must be handled with particular attention) and be present in expanding markets to stand our ground in them and gain new ground. I realize that saying it like that may seem like a simplification, but that is what macro-strategies are. More specifically, I would like to state that as an Italian and European home/furnishing textiles supply chain we must multiply our efforts to expand the type of clientele we reach, find new outlets, make our services and efficiency even better. We must realize that the profiles of the users of our products change constantly, are renewed and diversify. We must be hyper-aware of these developments: more than facing the markets in territorial and geographical terms, I believe they should analyze the types of customers and of opportunities and behave accordingly.
Q. – What can Euratex do, and possibly already does do, to promote and support the Italian and European furnishing fabric supply chain?
A. – Let's do an introduction. Euratex is the synthesis of all the national European textile-clothing associations. It cannot therefore deal with the particular national issues that are the purview of the associations of each country. Sistema Moda Italia is the Italian association associated with Euratex that represents bodies in Italy, which has the most important textile-clothing sector in Europe. The work of Euratex is necessarily European and global and this means that its job is, in the world market, to “lobby” and thus facilitate international trade and thus worldwide consumption of our products; supporting the European Union in the stipulation of free trade agreements with nations and aggregates of nations in every part of the world – an example is surely Canada with which we signed an agreement that cancelled the existing duties. In general, there are three main headings we work under: free trade agreements and the creation of a "free and fair" global market, then there is the topic of innovation that we develop through the European Technology Platform for Textile and Clothing and the third heading concerns sustainability. A team of ten people works on these issues in Brussels, so we do a lot on topics that are crucial but which, perhaps, are not perceived as immediate by individual companies. Yet in reality they are decisive for the future in the short, medium and long term.
Q. – We live in an age of social media and extreme exposure and visibility. Lots of communication, marketing and product promotion takes place through these channels. How up-to-date are the companies in our supply chain and how much work do they still need to do on this topic?
A. – This question is now vital and there are no alternatives. On social media and on the web either you’re there or “you're nothing”. Having a presence on the web is now no longer a question, it is not even conceivable not to have a website, but equally clear and indispensable is being present on social media. Companies of all sizes must realize that the new communication channels continue to be “new” only to us, in Italy in particular. In the world they are now well established and refined systems. In China, for example, people almost don’t use emails anymore, everything happens on “We Chat” the equivalent in that country of “Whatsapp”. And I'm not just talking about personal contacts, I’m think of marketing and business promotion. It’s clear that planning and carrying out a precise strategy that, obviously, then leads to e-commerce, is not easy and involves investments of time, money and human resources. But there is no alternative. The Italian production chain in our sector is quite late to the game and must act. Above all it must change its cultural attitude towards this topic: this is not a painful, annoying but necessary cost, but one of the most important investments in the future of a company. If that’s not your starting point, you won't go far.
Q. – And also on this issue, what is the current role of sector trade fairs?
A. – Let's start by saying that the role of a fair is still crucial, I would say fundamental. The world changes and evolves, but a moment of collective engagement like a fair is currently irreplaceable. Obviously the event must act in an unequivocal sense to promote research and the opening up of business opportunities. It is the same strategy that I mentioned before for companies: it’s not a question of a geographical vision in dealing with international markets, but of opportunities and chances, searching for different and new profiles of hypothetical customers. What Proposte did with the calendar shift towards the Salone de Mobile is perfectly consistent with this idea of a fair. Find new potential stakeholders. If the fair behaves like this it offers an indispensable service to the sector.
Q. – At the beginning of October Sistema Moda Italia organized a conference in Milan that talked about “sustainability” and about measurement systems suitable for tracing and showcasing the quality of textile apparel processes and products (PEF and EOF). Where does the furnishing fabric and curtain supply chain stand on this issue, in your opinion? And how much does this issue matter in our sector?
A. – The issue is fundamental but also undervalued. I don’t believe that the furniture/home textile supply chain has particular problems, at least in terms of process, since the national and European legislation on the subject is already very stringent. From this it follows that it could tackle the measuring procedures mentioned by SMI without any particular difficulty. The real question is another one, in other words the forest of certifications that is upstream of our work starting from yarns, semi-finished and raw materials. There is a complete confusion that is really difficult to untangle and this generates difficulties and often also scams and fakes. Finding order in this becomes indispensable, but our little supply chain does not have the strength to impose such important actions. I therefore believe that home textiles should follow the lead of their older cousin, clothing, in this case. However, the fact remains that the issue is essential and represents an opportunity for distinction and quality assurance that can offer us further opportunities on an international level.
FOREIGN TRADE OF THE TEXTILE-FASHION INDUSTRY (file .PDF)
Trends, design and distribution
In curtains the textile editor is still the absolute touchstone
The challenge is a really hard one. Outline a profile, as true to life as possible, of the various downstream figures in the production chain of furnishing fabrics and curtains. Hard but exciting. You could almost say indispensable, otherwise you’d be missing the basis for starting any discussion about how the future of the sector could evolve; for customers of the industry, for the customers of customers and, finally, also for the perception that the final consumer has of the upholstered fabric or of the curtain. In such a complicated field, we seek out a slightly easier approach and therefore we start from the curtain, in other words from the product sphere that, in the world of furnishing fabrics, is more recognizable, is in some way traceable and perceptible by the final consumer almost as a finished product, an element apart, with its own profile and its own personality in the world of room furnishings. Let's be clear, personality that undoubtedly fabric also has but that, as we will examine later, gets hidden, almost dispelled by the “arrogance” of the furniture or design element. Something that on the other hand for curtains, unequivocal filters of ambient light, and the biggest surface available in the home for textile decoration, doesn’t happen.
Let's start with curtains then, and to accompany us on this first introductory round we have chosen Diego Vercellino, managing director of Sirio Tendaggio and president of the Consorzio Tendaggio Italiano, one of the founding and sponsoring members of Proposte.
Q. – The curtain, among furnishing fabrics, is the product that moves down the distribution chain, all the way to final consumption, almost unchanged. That is why the channels that distribute it are easier to read, but also more “ruthless”. For example, the major DIY chains, with their big curtain departments, create a lot of confusion in the market. Do you agree?
A. – Only with the first part. It’s true what you say about the fact that the curtain, among textile furnishing products, is the one most similar to the finished product. Even if the intervention of those who suggest or create pairings – usually textile editors or interior designers – and then of those who install, often and willingly change the profile. While I absolutely don't see the “do it yourself” chains – obviously you mean importers – as competitors. That type of competition takes place on the low end of the spectrum, which is certainly not ours. More than competitors, I see them as important opportunities. Opportunities how. Because precisely the big chains we are talking about tend, especially abroad, in countries where firms have already evolved to be more organized than in Italy, orientate their focus towards increasingly more stratified consumer targets and think about the higher range of these, which given the volumes we’re talking about, could carve out an important role in the landscape of interior furnishing textiles in the future, skipping over the intermediate links in the supply chain. But even if they didn't skip them it would still create a market and, consequently, opportunities for us producers.
Q. – Ok. So the overall landscape is coming into focus. There are the classic textile editors that are still the boss and then the reality of these large-scale distributors. You also mentioned installers, are they still an important reality?
A. – They are an evolving reality. Abroad the installer is always more tied to a major distribution firm – and we return to large-scale, because it's not all “do it yourself” when you go up in consumer targets – so maybe they are independent but they work for third parties. In Italy, on the other hand, the installer is often still the owner of a brick and mortar showroom, so the classic craftsman/merchant. A figure that is still important in our market, but I believe with a future in decline. Or rather, in transformation; as happens abroad, they will increasingly be someone who executes by following the indications of an interior designer, an interior decorator or a large-scale distributor that provides both services. Let's also not forget e-commerce. I believe that this channel will soon wreak havoc even in our sector: I’m already hearing talk of tons of curtain samples being sent to people’s homes.
Q. – In any case, is the trend intermediary, the mediator between production ideas and market demands, still the textile editor?
A. – Absolutely, and that is why they remain our touchstone customer. Take for example our company: textile editors represent 80% of our business. I do not foresee any major changes to this customer channel structure. The percentages may vary a little, also depending on the markets we target, but this is our outlook. But so far we have talked about residential, what I really believe will grow will be contract. In that world, really large numbers are at play and the supplier/customer relationship could even develop without intermediaries.
Q. – Would you say that European curtain manufacturing exists, or is Italy the only place left with a strong manufacturing presence in the sector?
A. – We have to agree on the concept of Europe. If you’re talking about the current geographical composition then I find it hard to still think of “European curtains”. There are good companies in Spain, Belgium, France, in the characteristic and particular world of German curtains, but the truth is that Turkey has taken on a very big role due to its ability to respond to the requests of customer partners. We Italians are still the most creative and ingenious but they are much more structured in terms of size and very aggressive.
Q. – A nod to the global market. Where are curtains done well and where could the future be?
A. – Today markets are relatively simple to read. Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States are where it’s at. In Russia the geopolitical situation is a challenge and then it’s a market that is not very reliable. China was everyone’s great hope but it turned out to be disappointing and very difficult to follow. The only possible condition is to find a local partner and stand your ground in that market for the long-term. What’s left is Asia and Australia: interesting markets with good potential, but far away, complex and very expensive to deal with. But we should get there. Fortunately, more or less in a general sense, I can say that everywhere people have understood that the unbridled battle over price, on this product range, does not pay in the end. It is an attitude that is changing: whatever your target market is, if you want to do high-end editing, you must have different, original, creative and difficult to imitate products. All that has a cost.
Q. – Last question. There is a lot of talk about sustainability. In early October Sistema Moda Italia held a conference on the subject in Milan presenting important initiatives underway in the related clothing sector. Do you think it's also an issue for curtain customers?
A. – I am absolutely certain of it. In my experience major editors are starting to look for collections that carry guarantees and certifications in terms of sustainability, both for the products and manufacturing. It will be an increasingly important topic, even becoming an indispensable condition for working in a certain range of consumer and of sensibility. It is definitely demanding and expensive for manufacturing, but I am convinced that it is indispensable and even in the rather short time.
Trends, design and distribution
A conversation with the designers: which fabric for which environment
The designer is not a mythical figure, a totem, a presence to be evoked. And yet, in the world of furnishing fabrics, often they are treated exactly like that: a sort of capricious divinity who doesn’t really love fabric, they love other materials, they could be the harbinger of great successes if fabric were (or became again) one of their favourites, but that is not the case. In any case, an entity that you have to deal with, but that it’s unclear how to approach. We’re joking of course, but not entirely. The issue starts with the fact that this creative figure is a sort of shape-shifting entity, especially in Italy, which passes with seeming levity from the creation of an object, to the design of a textile collection, to the creation of the indoor or outdoor furnishings of a building. In short, designer, architect, interior designer, graphic designer ... all that matters is thinking about form and substance. Now, in the somewhat square and rational universe of textile manufacturing it becomes difficult to relate to creatives like this. Not that there is a shortage, in the sector, of ingenuity and inventiveness to be clear, but such an exercise must somehow be “inside” the sector, emerge from within, invoking the need for (real, we agree) very deep technical, material and process knowledge. However, the question arises: when Vico Magistretti designed, in 1960, his first piece of furniture, the Carimate chair for Cassina, we didn’t believe he was a great carpenter. Why then should we expect a designer to know exactly how a jacquard loom works? Can’t their creative contribution be mediated and guided by those who are experts in the production process in question, exactly as happens in clothing, in furniture or wherever there is something “technical” to know?
The issue is very complicated and still deserves a lot of reflection, but we mustn’t miss the opportunity to start a dialogue, to understand the reasons, the desires and the needs of the design world to try to bring it closer to us, to make it more contiguous with the fabric sphere. So what better opportunity than to ask the opinion of two young Italian designers who at Proposte were in charge of the visual identity and staging for the 2019 edition and thus were able to live and breathe textiles perhaps like they had never before? We are talking about Vittorio Turla and Gabriele Rigamonti who, with Carla Scorda, form Studiocharlie, one of the most important Italian design firms (honourable mention at the Compasso d'Oro in 2004 for the Csuni typeface and Compasso d'Oro in 2018 for the Eclipse faucet by Boffi) that also works in the world of fabrics with collaborations with Il Lanificio Leo and Torri Lana, just to name a few. From the answers, in our opinion, real and possible opportunities emerge, the important thing is not to think of the designer as some sort of mythical unicorn anymore.
Q. – Let's get right to the heart of the matter: summarizing the experience gained at the last edition of Proposte, which fabric for which environment, from the point of view of style, dominates – if, anything dominates – the event?
A. – In some respects it is easy to answer – Vittorio Turla is speaking – and in others it is difficult. Let’s say that the most immediate feeling is that today furnishing fabrics respond most of all to the needs of classic environments, maybe updated and not necessarily traditional, but “classic” in their soul and setup. This inclination however is not absolutely unequivocal, it looks more like a proportionate response to the demands of customers, of the market. In short, we did not get the impression that the manufacturing sector is lagging but that, except in rare cases, it’s the sector in general that asks this of furnishing fabrics. Therefore it is easy to identify the classic as the primary field of activity for furnishing fabrics but much, much more difficult to identify the innovative potential that fabric can offer as a furnishing component.
Q. – Can you explain that a bit more: it’s not clear how much fabric can innovate, or how it can foster this change ...
A. – Traces and signs of how it can change the appearance of a furnishing object, and consequently the whole environment, there are aplenty – it’s Gabriele Rigamonti who answers. After all, the simple variation of fabrics in the home can radically change the aesthetic approach of all the furnishings. The most macroscopic and immediate signal is colour: already just with the power of the latter you can change any characteristic but also, I would even say, a general style approach. More difficult, on the other hand, to identify – because you need certain training in the field – are the material and manufacturing aspects that can make fabric more of a protagonist: we noticed a greater diffusion of bouclé as a way to highlight workmanship, yarn and in general the materiality of the fabric. All that without screaming an evident or difficult design, staying within the lines of the minimal simplicity of the uni or the faux uni, but it gives greater aesthetic weight to the fabric covering. Let’s say that the classic is the most evident territory in which fabric moves, but there are valid reasons to believe that, outside of that safe realm, it could without difficulty even prove itself with more revolutionary projects. What’s needed is more courage, on the part of manufacturers and on the part of the market. Let's say that, from this perspective, designers could bring the right dose of freshness and boldness.
Q. – So far, you have only talked about fabric. Yet curtains are a fundamental component in the world of furnishing a room. They determine the light that illuminates everything and they practically make up a sequence of tapestries repeated in every room. But you seem to me to be far removed from these fabric objects, you barely see them. Am I wrong?
A. – No, unfortunately that is correct. It's a difficult concept to explain. I recognize their importance, but I have the feeling that as a product they have a more defined personality, which is simpler to read. Therefore they are more difficult to consider in a design phase, while much more immediate to put in the final refinement of the furniture. Curtains don’t blend in with other furniture elements, they shouldn’t echo their shapes. Their contribution is purely aesthetic, not really material, so our intervention and our sensibility as designers is required less. Having said that I absolutely do not want to deny weight or importance to curtains, on the contrary. I concede everything that you wrote, it’s just that I think of them as part of the sphere of intervention that comes after the process of aggregation of the furnishing elements.
Q. – So, in general, we might see designers who work on fabric but probably not on curtains?
A. – I did not say that. They are two very different types of intervention: with fabric the designer plays a creative role but also brings together different elements and combines different materials together, while in curtains their role would be more extreme, or more upstream – in the design itself of the curtains from a decorative perspective – or further downstream by intervening on the accents of almost complete room furnishings. I admit though that we, as a cultural inclination, are very minimal in our conception and therefore often the curtains, if considered, have to follow this aesthetic tendency that you could call “evanescent”.
Q. – So, I’ll summarize, you see a lot of the classic in today’s fabrics, but they could also play well in the realm of the future in your opinion. It seems that, all things considered then, the event allowed you to form a precise opinion of the sector. But, ultimately, what more should the sector and the exhibition give you designers?
A. – Fewer products and more personality – answers Vittorio Turla, with conviction. We saw stands with thousands of swatches that in the end all looked the same, but we struggled to learn about the histories, the cultures and the stories of the various companies. What’s missing a bit is the story, there’s no room for imagination and company charm when actually, and we are well aware of this, behind every fabric company there are beautiful stories. Longstanding clients are already perfectly aware of the characteristics of each supplier, so there is no need to be redundant in the presentation of what’s new, while the creative figure or the different kind a customer who doesn’t know you wants to be, in an almost shapeless ocean of swatches, attracted and won over by a story. From this perspective there is a radical difference with the world of furniture, where today history, the narrative, are fundamental.
PROPOSTE 2019
PROPOSTE 2019 – FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
The twenty-seventh edition of Proposte has just closed with an increase in visitors and the satisfaction of the exhibitors.
A very large number of operators, especially on the first day, visited the event in Cernobbio to discover the excellencies in the fields of furnishing fabrics, curtains and trimmings.
There has been a +3.5% increase in foreign visitors who represent over 70% of the total turnout. There have been significant increases in the number of operators coming from the United Kingdom, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Switzerland and China. The number of North American clients has remained stable, while that of Italian clients has slightly shrunk.
MEETING WITH THE PRESS
On the morning of Tuesday the 16th, at the press office, a conference was held in which the President of Proposte Mauro Cavelli, the Director Massimo Mosiello and the Director of ITA Italian Trade Agency Roberto Luongo, met with the Italian and foreign journalists who showed special interest in the environmental sustainability feature of the fabrics. Indeed, most of the enterprises exhibiting at Villa Erba presented new “green” products this year.
THE GALA EVENING
The traditional gala evening was held on Tuesday 16th. In view of the success enjoyed last year, the format has remained the same: a dinner with swing music in the background followed by a DJ set and a light-installation created by Olo Creative Farm, all set against the wonderful ambiance of Villa Antica.
WOVEN STORIES
Great acclaim for the project created by Studiocharlie for the 27th edition of Proposte. The installation, that pervaded the entire exhibition centre, narrated the unique story of furnishing fabrics through the voices of its operators, the Fair’s exhibitors.
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ITA
Our special thank you goes to the ITA agency for - once again - organizing the large and important delegation of 11 foreign journalists coming from United States, Ukraine, Turkey, Germany, Russia, Spain, Arab Emirates, Hungary, Japan and Mexico.
Studiocharlie for Proposte 2019 with the project Woven Stories
On its constant quest for new projects with figures from the world of Design, this year the Fair has decided to work with the Italian designers of Studiocharlie who have created the image of Proposte 2019 and who will be in charge of the decoration of the pavilions on the days of the fair. The choice stems from the will to bring a new outlook on textiles at a time when the proclivity for fabrics is favourably changing.
Studiocharlie, who are famous for their rigorous methods and strong concepts, at Proposte 2019 will illustrate the uniqueness of the history of furnishing fabrics through the voices of its actors, the fair’s exhibitors, by means of an installation that will be set up in Villa Erba. The name of this installation, and of the next edition, is “Woven Stories”.
PROPOSTE 2019 | DATES (VIDEO)
The Board of Directors of Proposte Srl, after much debate, has established that the 27th edition of Proposte, the World Preview of Furnishing Fabrics and Curtains, will be held on the 15th, 16th and 17th of April 2019. Confirmed once again as venue for the event the exhibition centre at Villa Erba in Cernobbio.
“Considering the national and international calendar of the various civil and religious festivities”, says the Chairman, Mauro Cavelli, “the upcoming edition of Proposte should have been held in late May, a date we considered too far along for our market of reference. This is why we chose to anticipate the event to April, in the wake of the Salone del Mobile. This means that the famous event will close on Sunday in Milan and the gates of Villa Erba will open on the following Monday. We believe that by placing the date of our exhibition so close to that of the Salone del Mobile we will make it easier for our foreign visitors to attend both events in a short time and on a single trip”.
Another important aspect is the change in the days of the week on which Proposte will be held. This year, the Fair will open from Monday to Wednesday and no longer from Wednesday to Friday, like in past years.
The opening hours of the event remain the same:
15th and 16th April: from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 17th April: from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m..
