Thirty-six brands were showcased at the “Italian Design Day” held in Cairo, a few days ago, to celebrate a growing export sector thanks to the Made in Italy brand style increasingly geared towards environmental sustainability.
“Designing the future: Innovation, Sustainability and Beauty” was the theme chosen for this year’s event exhibiting a total of 85 items. In a speech, delivered at the entrance to the exhibition venue, located in the interior and the gardens of the “Manasterly Palace”, a historic mid-19th century mansion built on an island in the Nile, the Italian Ambassador to Cairo, Giampaolo Cantini, expressed his “special thanks to the 13 Egyptian importers and distributors who made their collections available for the exhibition. The most significant items were selected and displayed in an artistic manner.”
The Egyptian importers attending the event account for the distribution of “over 80 Italian design brands,” noted Francesco Pagnini, Director of ICE, that helped organise the Cairo event together with the Embassy. “The Italian Design Day is an annual event coordinated by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs” since 2017, which – Ambassador Cantini emphasised – aims “to promote the excellence of Italian design with a series of events around the world”, through Italy’s Embassies, ICE offices and Cultural Institutes.
Ambassador Cantini also highlighted the concept of sustainability, stressing that “designers can lead the way in their sector thanks to their attention to the use of sustainable materials in their products and their ‘focus’ on the circular economy”. Italian exports to Egypt in relation to the items on display – as pointed out by ICE – have featured a growing trend in recent years, consolidated in the first half of this year, with 10.5 million euros in the furniture sector (+10%), 7.3 million for chairs and especially +57% for lighting (13.8 million).