Fattobene Project Exhibition at Libreria 121+ in Milan

The Fattobene project, launched in 2015 by journalist Anna Lagorio and photographer Alex Carnevali, documents iconic Italian industrial design objects. Now on display at Libreria 121+ in Milan until February 21, 2017, the exhibition features everyday items like glue jars, staplers, soap, and thirst-quenching tablet packages, all characterized by high quality and interesting design. The project serves as an atlas of Italian material culture, also available online with an e-shop. It highlights stories of industrial excellence, including Luigi Leone, who in the late 19th century colored his lemon candies green using spinach chlorophyll and introduced the first portable packaging in Turin. Gennaro Fabbri commissioned a special vase from a Faenza ceramist for his amarena cherries to appear in fashionable bar windows. Some objects, like the Tre Spade flywheel coffee grinder, are top sellers at the MoMA gift shop in New York. The exhibition taps into a renewed public taste for vintage, appealing to nostalgic consumers and those seeking distinction.