L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 9 N ew York -based Italophiles have a new resource in tow n w hen it comes to high-end holiday shopping. The city that never sleeps welcomed the O F F ICIA L M ade in I taly popup store on October 19, 2016. The s tore b rings 6 0+ I talian brands under its lofted roof — and 80% of those have never before been sold on U.S. soil. The project was conceived by brothers F rances co and Alessandro Violi in 2010 as a means to celebrate the cultural patrimony of Italy's grand arti- sanal traditions, and to rescue the "Made in Italy" concept from dilu- tion. Over the past decades, the term has lost some of its cache. Legally, products may be labeled "Made in Italy" even if only two- thirds o f the manufacturing processes occurs in Italy. For example, if a garment is designed and sewn in Italy, and its fabric produced in China, the garment can still be called Made in Italy. As a result, the level of quality that consumers came to associate with Italian products has dimin- ished somewhat. O f cours e, cons umers w ho want to purchase products that are 100% Made in Italy have to be w illing to p ay a p remium, Francesco Violi explained to me when we met in the SoHo OFFI- CIAL Made in Italy store on a recent F riday afternoon. The store's open floorplan and high, vaulted ceilings are a perfect stage for the varied products on display. It's impossible for a visitor to resist examining the jewelry, sun- glasses, and clothing spread out across the store. While it is much less cost- effective to design, manufacture, and produce each product in Italy, for these brands, it's a matter of pride. For example, Francesco told me, one food craftsman locks him- self alone in a room to make sure no one can copy his secret recipe. A shoemaker has divided manu- facturing between the sexes for hundreds of years: the men create the soles and the women sew the delicate uppers. "They have an understanding of when things are done w ell," F rances co s aid. "There's a sense of 'this is how we do things when it has our name on it.'" Producing a lower-quality product would bring shame upon the family name. But the store doesn't only sell traditional, long-es tablis hed brands. It also has introduced young designers and innovative new companies. One of them, for example, creates bags entirely out of pineapple leaves. "We live in an age of fast fash- ion," Francesco said. OFFICIAL Made in Italy's brands provide a slow alternative. Like the Slow Food movement, which originated in Rome in 1989 and is now well- known worldwide, these brands focus on quality over speed. Their products are hand-produced, and many are one of a kind. They may be five or ten times as expensive as the mass-produced goods on the racks of Zara and H&M, but they las t 100 times as long. Educated consumers understand BETH CONNOLLY the value of the items and are will- ing to pay for that. OFFICIAL Made in Italy is headquartered in Milan. Over the past five years, the start-up has grow n to more than a dozen employees. It started selling prod- ucts through a catalog, and opened its firs t ever pop-up s hop in London in April 2015. In addition to dis playing the company's brands, the shop hosted a number of events and even displayed con- temporary Italian artists, truly making a name for itself as a sig- nificant addition to London's vibrant cultural scene. Future pop- up shops are planned for Tokyo, Dubai, and Monaco in upcoming years. The store is a feast for the sens- es, a riot of colors and textures, with displays of dresses, sunglass- es, jewelry, shoes, food products, and more. As I surveyed its offer- ings, I found myself deeply regret- ting the fact that I had already completed most of my holiday shopping. Nevertheless, I asked Alessandro to help me put together a gift guide of sorts. He recom- mended something for every bud- get. Take a look: Affordably chic 10 BUONI PROPOSITI: This is the perfect gift for friends and even colleagues. Each bracelet, made of stainless steel beads, features a charm medallion with a "buono proposito," or New Y ear's res olution, w ritten in English with the Italian translation on the back of the charm. The res- olutions are fresh and sassy, and sure to make the recipient smile – like "Starting today, I'm taking off," and "Starting today, please leave a message." $40 each. Moderately priced: EATTIAMO: It's the Blue Apron of Italian food. Each box includes seven Italian food specialties, typically from small, family-owned, arti- s anal producers . A box might include pasta, cookies or crackers, tomato sauce, jam, and a panet- tone. At the moment Eattiamo is running a holiday special: Buy a three-month gift subscription for $177 and you'll received one box for free. Splurge: BISSO MILANO: This young fashion brand pairs innovative, contemporary designs with traditional hand-sewn crafts- mans hip. D es igner Raffaella Tarantola (F rances co V ioli's fiancé) founded the brand in col- laboration with Francesco and other partners in 2015. Its shirts are s imple, but w ith unique approaches to fit and flair. The name Bisso was chosen to draw a reference to the precious organic golden, silken thread traditionally harvested from the Pinna nobilis mollus ks that live in the Mediterranean Sea. The shirts range in price from $150 to $300. New Pop-Up Shop Brings Italy to New York for Holiday Shopping Alessandro Violi with customers in his OFFICIAL Made in Italy store in Soho. Photo: ACV Photography The store is a feast for the senses, with displays of dresses, sunglasses, jewelry, shoes, food products and more. Photo: ACV Photography Official Made in Italy is headquartered in Milan and opened its first ever pop-up shop in London in April 2015. Photo: ACV Photography NEW YORK ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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