Today marks the tenth Italian Design Day in the World mondo (Italian Design Day), promoted and organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Culture – Directorate General for Contemporary Creativity, in collaboration with ADI – Association for Industrial Design, Fondazione ADI Collezione Compasso d’Oro, Triennale Milano, Salone del Mobile.Milano, Federlegno Arredo, and ITA – Italian Trade Agency.
This year’s theme is Re-Design. Regenerating spaces, objects, ideas, and relations provides an opportunity to reflect on how design and architecture can contribute to the regeneration of living spaces, enabling us to address current and future global challenges. This theme, encompassing both urban regeneration and the regeneration of objects, highlights our country’s wealth of knowledge and expertise.
Italian cities, the result of stratification and adaptation, is a unique testing ground that aims to combine sustainability, inclusion, and technological innovation. These projects are a model that can be exported worldwide, as demonstrated by the urban regeneration projects promoted as part of cooperation activities in third countries, which stand out for their integrated approach, sensitive and attentive to environmental, social, and economic aspects, and for the enhancement of local communities through the proactive involvement of citizens in the transformation processes.
Italy also stands out for its many virtuous examples of designing physical and digital objects inspired by the principles of the circular economy from the earliest stages of conception. The use of recycled materials and attention to product life cycles demonstrate that contemporary challenges powerfully stimulate designers’ creativity and fuel innovative production chains capable of generating virtuous processes of sustainable development.
Thanks to Italy’s diplomatic network, industry figures around the world are showcasing practices, ideas, and projects that can constructively contribute to reflection on the theme of regeneration. During the Milan Design Week 2026 (April 21-26, 2026), at the Salone del Mobile. Milano, in Triennale Milano, in the ADI Design Museum, and in all design venues throughout the country, you can find references and exhibitions dedicated to the contribution that Italian design makes to improving everyone’s lives.
