It will be the Second Edition of the International Exhibition for Home Linens, Home Textiles, Underwear, and Lingerie. The rendezvous is in Florence, at Fortezza da Basso from February 6 to 9, 2009.
It is a new way of living our own house and it is known as Home Loving. This trend, which is more and more widespread, is rediscovering the pleasure of taking care of our own house, by making it cosy and warm, coloured and more and more comfortable.
The achromatic culture and the minima list tendency (less is more) which have dominated the way of furnishing our houses over the past few decades, are now surrendering to the free interpretation of interiors, to the sensations of pleasure and warmth transmitted by the surfaces, by the fabrics, by the special effects with lights, and by the new matching of different materials.
This new trend is known as design it vivre; that is the need of looking for furnishing objects for our home capable of satisfying our aesthetic taste but which should be useful objects as well to help us in our everyday life when we cook, when we are comfortably seated in a sofa reading a book, or when we are having a warm bath by candlelight.
The house, which has always been an indicator of the changing of times, is not considered as a passage place any longer: in fact it is nowadays considered as the favourite scenery where people can share moments of hospitality, of socialization, and of conviviality. Of course it should comply with our natural desire of relaxation and of slowing down.
Architects, designers and people working in this sector; they all agree with the importance of the social and anthropological aspects of this tendency: in a period of uncertainties, our home has recovered its role; it is therefore regarded again as a shelter giving certainty and security. People aim at creating a warm and experienced environment which becomes in this way more communicative.
There is an inclination towards the involvement of all the senses, by opening to whatever expressive language. This is why, in the same space, extremely essential and modern elements can co-exist with the souvenir of the past, with the scents of ancient times, and with graphics and old and deliciously retro objects.
Instead, the encounter with different cultures turns into ideas for ethnic and folk codes and languages full of visual and tactile suggestions. The simple but unusual matching of common objects and unique pieces, the mixture of apparently distant inspirations, and the combination between East and West, reveal a strong desire for interpreting the home by following the thread of effect and affection as well as the wish for expressing our own personal touch.
Nowadays the house can become, when treated in an original way, the first place for experimentation and the vehicle to give vent to our creativity. In this way the house, while renewing continually, seals our sense of belonging. Immagine Ifalia & CO. , arrived to its second edition, has been created by keeping in mind this awareness.
This exhibition is a concrete support for all those companies wishing an "Italian showcase" in Italy. The location can be easily reached from anywhere in Italy and the exhibition costs can be kept rather low because Immagine Italia & Co. is supported by a group of non profit public bodies whose mission is that of promoting economic development. This project has therefore a social aim.
The Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture and Handcraft of Pistoia and a team of high level partners have been able to carry out an international exhibition dedicated to the best of the Made in Italy for home linens, home textiles, homewear and lingerie. To repeat and even go beyond the results obtained in the 2008 edition: This is the common aim.
The important numbers registered in the 2008 edition have widely ove~come all our rosiest hopes. The first edition of Immagine Italia & Co. took place in Florence, at Fortezza da Basso ( the former seat of Pitti) and, despites it was its debut, there were 9,700 attendees in the three days of opening,
207 exhibitors, 142 of which of the home linens and home textiles sectors and 65 belonging to the lingerie and homewear sectors. More than 300 well-known and highly appreciated brands.
For the new edition, the organisers estimate the participation of about 260 exhibitors in total. This is confirmed by the considerable rise in the exhibiting space which goes from the 20,000 square metres of the previous edition to the current 30,000 square metres (6,000 square metres more for home
linens and home textiles sectors and 4,000 square metres more for lingerie and homewear sectors).
Immagine Italia & Co. has grown and it is now ready to face the market challenges because manual skills and handcraft must be preserved, because the intelligence of the hand and the creativity of the mind have always been the engine of progress and have always given added value to every community. Because our thoughts pass from our things and from our homes.
