ITALIAN DESIGN DAY 2026 SHOWCASES INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND SYNERGY

By Nur Atiq Maisarah Suhaimi

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) --  The Italian Embassy in Malaysia celebrated the 10th edition of Italian Design Day 2026 with a dazzling showcase of Italian creativity, innovation and elegance, underscoring its standing as a premier platform for design excellence.

Themed “RE-DESIGN. Regenerating spaces, objects, ideas, relationships”, the event was held as part of a worldwide initiative to celebrate the transformative role of Italian design while fostering dialogue with international creative communities.

Italian Ambassador to Malaysia Raffaele Langella emphasised that the theme of regeneration offers an important opportunity to reflect on the role of design and architecture in improving everyday living spaces and the well-being of communities, while bringing together technological progress, manufacturing and creativity.

“Design is first and foremost a way to create new social relationships, contacts, bonds and emotional relationships between people and units and it is the incarnation of the work of people, creativity, ability to translate an idea into something that can be produced very often and enjoyed by the other side of the market, so the consumer will have access to it,” he said in his opening remark.

The Italian Design Day held at the ambassador’s residence, was participated by renowned Italian companies and brands including Bialetti, Illy, and Smeg (kitchen and industrial design); Boggi, Damiani, and Giorgio Visconti (jewellery and fashion); Dainese and Givi (motorcycle gear); iXoost (sound design); and Minotti (interior design).

The exhibition was further enriched by the presence of Malaysian batik artisan Kapten Batik, who delighted guests with a live demonstration celebrating the seamless union of Italian design elegance and Malaysian craftsmanship.

Langella said Italian design’s global prestige also 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.

The ambassador 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.

“In my opinion and I know that I can speak on behalf of the other members of the Italian delegation, Malaysia is really a huge potential partner, global partner, when it comes to design,” he said.

UniKL-MIDI, which was established in 2018, represents a strategic platform where Italian design tradition meets Malaysian technical expertise, enabling the transfer of the “Made in Italy” model into local industry and education.

-- BERNAMA