ITALY EYES STRONGER COLLABORATION WITH MALAYSIA IN DESIGN, INNOVATION

By Nur Atiq Maisarah Suhaimi

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- Italy sees strong potential to deepen collaboration with Malaysia across design, education and cultural sectors, driven by shared creative strengths and growing bilateral familiarity.

Speaking to Bernama, Italian Ambassador to Malaysia Raffaele Langella said that Italy, long recognised as a global leader in design, views Malaysia as one of the increasingly prominent players in aesthetics, colour composition and the fusion of tradition with innovation.

"Together, Malaysia and Italy can work towards the setting of new standards and new frontiers. We have a lot of things in common, and there are a lot of opportunities that we can explore together,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama in conjunction with the Italian Design Day 2026.

Langella said Italy is ready to share its expertise with Malaysian partners, as growing familiarity between the two countries and a surge in Italian tourist arrivals position Malaysia as an increasingly attractive market.

“Malaysia is becoming very popular and much loved in Italy. When people travel, normally goods will follow, and that's why we are expecting a huge increase in the partnerships between Italian and Malaysian companies.

“So opportunities are there. We are willing to help Malaysian companies that want to invest in Italy, who want to export their goods to Italy, because, as I said, there is the perfect cultural and emotional setting. Now it's time for companies to exploit the market content of such a setting,” he added.

The Italian Embassy in Malaysia celebrated the 10th edition of Italian Design Day 2026, with the theme “RE-DESIGN. Regenerating spaces, objects, ideas, relationships”, showcasing the Italian creativity, innovation and elegance, while underscoring its standing as a premier platform for design excellence.

Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of Italian motorcycle accessories brand Rizoma, Fabrizio Rigolio, said Italy and Malaysia shared a familiarity in attitude toward design and beauty, particularly in the motorcycle industry.

“We are looking at a great opportunity in this country because it’s a country that has the attitude of design, and they love the beauty, and also in the motorcycle industry, where I’m the CEO of Rizoma, we see potential. The quality is really the same as Europe,” he told Bernama.

The founder added that Italian Design Day, which brings together designers, brands and industry leaders, is a key platform for fostering collaboration, connecting people and exploring new ventures, including across Southeast Asia.

Echoing this optimism, Milan Head of European Institute of Design Prof Giacomo Bertolazzi highlighted that opportunities in Southeast Asia are abundant and already taking shape, while highlighting confidence that substantial collaboration can be achieved between Italy, Malaysia and this region.

“There is a very important revolution that has been brought by design in this part of the world, and in these couple of days that I spent in Kuala Lumpur, I have seen that Malaysia is a country of great beauty, and I am convinced that a lot can be done between Italy, Malaysia and Southeast Asia,” he said.

On the evolution of design education toward artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted design and digital manufacturing, Bertolazzi said the integration of AI is accelerating design processes, but human creativity remains central.

“In my opinion, AI is a tool, AI is a result of a strategic thought, it's an instrument that allows us to cut time and do things faster, but it's an instrument that has to be managed by people, by critical thought, by a critical process, a thinking process.

“Of course, we apply AI in our courses. Students nowadays are born digital, so they need to use digital tools, but at the same time, we also adopt other tools, and without forgetting our own tradition that has made us different and has made Italy a very important reality in the world of design,” he added.

-- BERNAMA