A Journey Exploring the Relationship Between Italian Design and Territory: What Experiences Can Help Us Confront Our Way of Life and Business?

We have prepared an experimental training program that explores how to confront our way of life and business while examining the relationship between Italian design and territory.

Objectives of the Training Program

This journey is a gift for those who question the 'commodification' of everything and are seeking new ways of doing business and living their lives. If the title resonates with you, please actively consider participating.

When people think of Italian design, many associate it with glamorous colors and alluring shapes. That is not wrong in one respect. However, it is a misunderstanding to view them as 'the result of superficial creative ingenuity.' This is because these elements are the very essence, or the breath, of the Italian lifestyle.

The next question might be: 'Can a traveler find that lifestyle on a fashionable shopping street in Milan?' I have to answer, 'Yes, you can say that, but it would be difficult to truly feel it with just that.'

Here, I would like to introduce one keyword: 'Territorio.' It is an Italian word. While the English word 'territory' mainly refers to administrative boundaries and the French word 'terroir' emphasizes the natural soil that produces wine, Territorio is a space that encompasses the relationship between city and countryside, as well as nature, culture, and social identity. In other words, it can be said that in Italy, there is a strong spatial reference that connects people's way of life and business.

Therefore, for this journey, we chose the Langhe region of Piedmont as one of the ideal Territorios to experience the aforementioned concepts. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site (the photo at the beginning is the landscape of Langhe) known for its wine production areas like Barolo and its cultural landscape related to agriculture. It is also often introduced as a center of food culture due to things like truffles and the birthplace of Slow Food.

However, there are many more assets here. There are numerous innovative companies in construction materials and fashion, as well as cultural facilities related to art and education created by entrepreneurs who have succeeded in this region. A region that was not necessarily wealthy in the past is now shining in various aspects—agriculture, manufacturing, and culture. Requests from 'discerning people' around the world to visit are flooding in.

We have planned a trip with three days in the Langhe region and two days of design immersion in Milan. We will also hold a lecture on Italian design at the Politecnico di Milano. In addition, we have created a mechanism so that this journey does not end in five days. We will present tasks to all participants.

What are the tasks after the trip?

The task is for participants to write an English report after the trip, which will include the names and profiles of potential Japanese contacts who would be useful for each business visited. This will be sent to the Italian hosts, and if they show interest, you will actually connect the two parties. By keeping in mind the contribution to those who hosted you, this process will add concrete contours to the impression you had immediately after the trip that 'it was fun and I learned a lot.'

Also, for those judged to have insights from this experience that should be shared with more people, there is an opportunity to write an article for Forbes JAPAN online. We are also considering a regular follow-up program by the organizers after this trip. We hope this is an attractive program for business people who are seriously looking at the current era.

Program Details

Dates: September 23–28, 2024 (local time)
Langhe visit candidates: Wineries, University of Gastronomic Sciences, Memphis, Abet Laminati, Mondo, City of Alba, Ferrero Foundation, etc.
Milan visit candidates: Triennale Design Museum, ADI Design Museum, Politecnico di Milano School of Design, etc.
Cost: Program fee including local accommodation and transportation is approximately 500,000 yen (planned). Excluding travel costs to/from Italy and follow-up fees.
Number of participants: Minimum 5, maximum 8.
Organizers: knots associates inc. , De-Tales Ltd,
Media Partner: Forbes JAPAN

For those who wish to participate, please contact Hiroyuki Anzai via Messenger. We will set up a communication channel after that. Alternatively, you may contact knots associates inc directly, which is the contact point in Japan.

Organizer's Personal Profile

Kyoko Watanabe, Director/COO, knots associates inc.
Graduated from the Faculty of Economics, Keio University.
Completed the Master's program at the Graduate School of System Design and Management, Keio University.
In addition to being involved in education for developing system design talent at graduate schools and companies, she supports new business and innovation creation in companies. She is a director of Bridge Work Ltd., which conducts Japanese-English translation, English writing, and content design for websites.

She has been involved in English translation using Plain English, which is thoroughly committed to 'conveying,' and has cultivated a perspective of information architecture, which is 'optimization of output through the structure and arrangement of information.' Amidst the changes in the world and her surroundings, she continued to keep her antenna extended for learning at graduate school, and the opportunity she seized was the newly established SDM Graduate School at her alma mater, Keio University. Excited by the fun of learning, her graduate school life, where her previous experiences became a single line, and her subsequent experience as a specially appointed faculty member led her to work with various people such as companies and local governments, and she is now involved in all aspects of education, practice, and research. Guided by curiosity and passion, she has reached where she is today. She is also invited as a pro bono mentor for Hokkaido Shikaoi High School and is spending increasingly interesting times.

・Outside Director, Net Year Group Corporation
・Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, Graduate School of System Design and Management, Keio University
・Visiting Professor, Toa University
・Participated in multiple innovation education-related projects for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and system design-related projects for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Alessandro Biamonti, Architect, Associate Professor at the School of Design, Politecnico di Milano
He conducts research and educational activities in a wide range of design fields at the School of Design, Politecnico di Milano. In particular, to pioneer new academic horizons, he focuses on revitalizing new collaborative practices that leverage interdisciplinary and international assets, with interior design at the core. He places special emphasis on exploring the anthropological aspects of design and its impact from the perspective of social innovation. He believes that the discipline of design should connect to the broader issues of contemporary society without neglecting its technical and expressive roots. Therefore, a significant portion of his research activities positions design within a socio-cultural dimension. Initiatives for the well-being of vulnerable populations in collaboration with domestic and international foundations, companies, and organizations are examples of this. One such initiative is a therapeutic habitat (a system consisting of spatial environments, physical elements, technologies, and services) aimed at supporting non-pharmacological therapies for Alzheimer's syndrome. This is part of a social inclusion strategy that includes research, education, and co-design experiences.

Hiroyuki Anzai, Director, De-Tales Ltd.
A business and culture designer based in Tokyo and Milan. He has participated in numerous proposals for corporate partnerships between Europe and Asia, as well as product planning and sales strategies. At the same time, he has deep involvement in the field of design. Since the 2000s, he has been involved in usability and localization for the European market for electronic devices such as car navigation systems, and began advocacy activities for 'localization maps,' a method for cross-cultural understanding through design. Since his involvement in supervising Roberto Verganti's 'Overcrowded' (Japanese title: Toppa suru Dezain) in 2017, he has been active as an evangelist for innovation of meaning, and is currently exploring new meanings of luxury. He is also researching design culture that promotes social innovation.

He is the author of 'Why is Made in Italy Strong?' (Shobunsha), 'What Are the Growing Small and Medium-sized/Venture Companies in the World Thinking?' and 'Fukushima in Italy' (both from Cross Media Publishing), and 'European Eyes, Japanese Eyes' (Nippon Hyoron Sha). He is a co-author of 'New Luxury: The Economy Created by Culture - 10 Lectures' and 'What Comes After Design' (Cross Media Publishing), and 'Why Did "Maruchan" Become Mexico's National Food?' (Nikkei BP). He is the translator of Ezio Manzini's 'Politics of the Everyday' (BNN) and 'Design, When Everybody Designs: An Introduction to Design for Social Innovation' (X-Design Publishing). He supervised the Japanese edition of Verganti's 'Overcrowded' (Nikkei BP).