tyle is therefore connected to the many

aspects of time passing because in every

Style

Stories and Matters

2018

The evolution of style:

the research, the design,

the cultural experience.

Curated by Rimadesio

G

io Ponti described style as a “a highly

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demanding word ”. And he should

know as it was his continuous, magnifi-

cent obsession throughout his entire

working life.

I

t was 1941: almost 80 years have gone

by since then and those who have

reached the same number in age, today are

still called “young”; and yet considering

the history of design, the forties are another

era: those intensely dense decades flew

by, they are part of a history celebrated in

manuals. This is just to highlight that

“demanding” sounds rather like an elegant

euphemism, given that this subject has

always been up for debate, at times blatant

and conspicuous at others hidden and

underground, depending on the period and

therefore, as yet, has not given any defini-

tive answers. Style is most probably the

vexata quaestio par excellence, generating

discussions and disputes in which artists,

architects, critics, theorists, philosophers

even politicians took part in – lets say from

Periclean Athens times, but can actually

be traced back even further – discussing

everything that related to the arts and

aesthetics, the definition of beauty, its

perception and how it influences daily

life. From Vitruvio to Gottfried Semper,

and in the twentieth century everybody

did – in Italy idealist and post idealist

philosophers such as Croce and his brilliant

counterparts such as Dino Formaggio, and

architects such as Ettore Sottsass in primis,

the list of those who wished to define what

Treccani describes as “the complex of specific

natures and ways, responding to a particular

aesthetic type, a piece of clothing, a piece

of furniture, an object and similar”,

is endless. As is the concept of “similar”.

So “style” really is a difficult word, because

it is uncontainable and malleable, able to

go through time, leave its imprint and then

take leave. Its malleability has allowed it

to forge the most diverse labels with equal

enthusiasm: so, to give just two examples

– here it is young and lively, endorsing the

liberty style with that floral and avantgarde

tone, fragrant of Art Nouveau and Arts&

Crafts; then some years later, it dries out

and while still being young and avantgarde

transforms itself into geometric, orthogo-

nal austere De Stijl. In the twentieth century

it has appeared in tandem with “modern”

a sort of locomotive that has dragged

numerous wagons of all shapes and sizes

to thousands of destinations.

H

owever, there seems to be a common

feature from the dawn of time until

today. For the Greek pottery workshop

artisan and for Praxiteles, for the architect

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of the Gothic cathedral and for the stone-

mason of a remote parish church, for the

Renaissance genius and for his smeared

canvas, for the baroque virtuoso’s gouging

and for a local town carpenter, the idea

of creating a style – or even imitating one

– has been and still is, something that

is deeply connected to identity, something

that has to do with telling their story to

others, building the present and the imprint

it will leave for the future.

S

era different ones can co-exist.

The search for a particular style and its

statement is in fact the interpretation of a

certain historical period- the best interpre-

tation is hoped for but that has not always

been the case. And moreover, style must

go beyond that moment in time to excel

hic et nunc (here and now) and to last: that

is an essential point. Speaking of produc-

tion, style, well, its part of their DNA, that

particular that has been formed and devel-

oped thanks to processes shared with other

companies, as well as experimenting

individual and original paths. It is a genetic

patrimony that, just as any other, must

continue to progress to avoid any risk of

extinction. There is something Darwinian

in this discussion between originality and

evolution: these two words are also

“demanding” and as qualifying adjectives

– original and advanced – give each style

their own magic or wanting to bring the

distinguished Walter Benjamin

2

into

the discussion, aura. Changing without

transforming: it is not “superficiality”,

but for industry it means constantly being

aware of its objectives, knowing how to

be modern with a dual and contemporary

vision: with an eye to the future and its

feet deeply rooted in its history. It seems

a simple formula but actually requires

daily attention. The proud statement of their

own roots and a clear vision of today that

immediately becomes tomorrow, or rather

an “active” style (that have the imprint of

time, are able to master it and manage any

contrasts or unforeseen events) is the basis

on which the most important brands,

regardless of their size, are founded.

And this is true in every sector. Just look

at the different, classic examples in the

automotive industry; Porsche is the only

one who has produced what substantially

is the same car since 1931, perfecting its

line and continuously updating its technical

mechanics. Audi is a case study to reflect

on. The historic manufacturer, known

for its reliable yet aesthetically anonymous

cars, knew how to develop and evolve

technically (think about its innovation as a

four wheel drive) and aesthetically (redefin-

ing its aesthetic “limits” and transforming

them into refined understatement) speak-

ing at an outstanding level: an operation

that has enabled the brand to be visionary

and to capture and above all to bridge a gap

at the high-end of the automotive sector.

Another classic example is Alfa Romeo ,

that has always been a racing brand par

excellence, and has reconfirmed its sporting

style by returning to Formula 1: a clear,

appealing message for the brand’s loyal

appraisers, a way to enhance the loyalty

of the older followers as well as to find

new ones.

All of this against a backdrop of an automo-

tive industry trying to rise up to the

epoch-making challenges of the progres-

sive popularity of electrically driven

vehicles. A technological issue the big car

brands have long been working on,

redefining the stylistic codes of the car body

design as well as the complex system

of symbols and language that regulate the

processes of communication.

But that is not all. The probable use of

assisted driving on a large scale, which

is now in the advanced testing phase,

(just like the concept of dealing with smart

cities that are totally interconnected)

will have a number of consequences on

the nature of the vehicle itself as we know

it: from the inevitable reduction in speed

and therefore to the sportslike aspect of

the car, to the shape and function of their

insides, increasingly less car-like and

increasingly more similar to an extension

of our living spaces or offices. Considering

the speed of the technological evolution,

it is essential to define the necessary

strategies: how to reinvent yourself and with

what style you continue to be the leader.

ways. An extraordinary example is that

of Steve Jobs, who many people consider

to be “the” maverick; who, defining the

aesthetic standards for consumer electronic

goods made them a must-have for every-

one, everywhere. The small i – iPad, iMac,

iPhone – is a sign of belonging to a style

that simply has no equals, no offence to their

Asian competitors... “Fashion changes,

Style endures”, Coco Chanel once said.

“Fashion reflects the times we live in,

even if, when the times are dull we prefer

to forget about it”. There are different and

equally significant examples of brands

active in specific sectors of fashion who

then branched out into the clothing sector

with enormous success

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. Marketing

activities that have been able to tap into new

sectors successfully “exporting” if you

were, their reputation for the original

excellence of materials and workmanship.

Reflecting on style and production you

inevitably end up talking about the market.

The fourth industrial revolution is close at

hand; the production norms are in continu-

ous development as are, consequently,

commercial relations. The big names previ-

ously mentioned remind us that capitalism

reveals itself with has new dynamics, new

forms of aggregation and for any company

the knowledge of being original, today,

more than ever before, has to do with its

brand identity and the storytelling of the

brand and its products. Or rather the

telling of stories because the design

industries (fashion, furniture and technolo-

gies) channel within theirs, next to their

own, numerous others that they must

make their own or in one way or another

cannot not consider. Stories about people

who reflect the company and vice versa,

the so-called testimonials, or others that

inspirit the key growth stages, consistent

interpreters of a style.

where it is necessary to define new languag-

es and different forms of communication.

can just as easily get bored. Because, as

Alberto Bassi, essayist and teacher at the

IUAV in Venice, points out “along with

the main reasons that have long been the

basis of our choices, namely the function-

al, technical and performance qualities on

one hand and aesthetics, on the other, there

is now also the need to show off a status

symbol-testifying a certain social-economic

condition or a style symbol showing a

particular cultural and existential condition”.

What style then do we decide to commu-

nicate a new product with? If style is connect-

ed to the storytelling of the product and

the company, it is imperative nowadays to

know how to choose what way or ways to

operate: that is to say determine the style

that describes that identity in the best

possible way. The creation and the diffusion

of the current large network of new media

on a global scale means that companies

have to reflect on a new, different type of

communication of their style. It is a new

challenge because the web structure itself,

being a spurious relative of the television,

the radio and the written word, compel

companies to invent new forms, where it is

not often easy to adopt a new style. The

web is, without doubt, fast and superficial,

it is to be watched. Words live on but

images are prevalent.

be a starting point for reflection and a

further incentive. Only time will enable us

to recognise its concrete effects. So it

seems increasingly clear that style today is

more than ever a distinctive imprint of

cultural tradition.

1. “Under the aegis of an extremely demanding word,

‘Style’, begins an indication of architectural works

and furnishings, as well as drawings, paintings and

sculptures”. That is how Gio Ponti, in January

1941, presented the first issue of Lo Stile nella casa e

nell’arredamento, the monthly publication “on ideas,

on life, on the future and above all on art”. The publi-

cation that he created and managed until 1947.

2. The German philosopher Walter Benjamin

reflected on the aura of a work of art being devalued

by mechanical reproduction, such as photography in

his famous essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mecha-

nical Reproduction, Nuovo Politecnico, Einaudi 1966.

3. Sergio Marchionne announced the partnership

between Alfa Romeo and the Swiss Formula One team

Sauber in December, formalising the return of the

automotive brand to car racing after over 30 years.

4. Illuminating examples from the luxury leather

goods industry: Louis Vuitton, Prada, Fendi, Trussardi.

5. Confucio (551 a.C.–479 a.C.), there are no texts

written directly by him, his renown phrases and

aphorisms have been put together in The Dialogues,

analects by his disciples who collected fragments

of dialogues.

6. Fashion. We are entering a wide ranging area of

discussion: if we accept the literal translation of

design as “project” then we have to say that the entire

system of objects and symbols in which we live are

elements of design, because they have all be “designed”

to do certain tasks. But is it only that? And is it

enough to describe fashion as a dominant and passing

trend that influences the lives and habits of a certain

period? Paraphrasing Dino Formaggio who said “Art

is everything that man calls art”, raises the question

is fashion all that man calls fashion? not wanting to

solve the question with a joke, but rather emphasize

that fashion, just like art and design is closely related

to the historical periods in which it lives, develops,

and eventually dies out, to then comes back different-

ly but at the same time the same.

T

of extremely varied examples and stories.

If the great founders of some of the iconic

brands of the fifties are no longer with us,

and if their vision seems not to have left

any trace in the collections of new design-

ers, they do however remain a strong

point of reference for the public. Here too,

the sophisticated strategies necessary to

preserve style are stimulated and sped up

by technological innovation. In this sector

they are represented by the popularity of

digital technologies. On-line shopping is in

fact transforming the distribution system

making the showrooms functional places

that are necessary for enhancing the value

of the brand, places where you live “the

experience” of style, while the more physical

process of buying is carried out in more

comfortable surroundings and in handier

here are similar examples to be found

in fashion, offering a wide range

T

market conditions need to retain their clients,

having been won over and having enhanced

their loyalty thanks to a well defined style,

need to acquire new market share (export

and contract clients play an essential part

in their turnover) without however shaking

up their image or the style they have chosen.

At the same time immobility is lethal. “It

does not matter how slowly you go as long

as you do not stop” Confucio

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said. Taking

time, on the other hand, today, is undoubt-

edly a luxury, but it is indispensable in order

to fully create a style that is not simply

a passing fad, but a well thought out,

evolutionary step. A requirement urgently

required by a culturally elusive target, the

one that refers to the so-called new markets,

3

fast-paced rhythms, almost seems

not to have the time to be afraid, in other

sectors the story is different: producing

a new product requires time and testing, in

other words big investments. This is the

reason why the evolution in style takes

longer, while the contest on details and

materials seems more evident. A challenge,

that means in any case, research. And that

is something that gives style its dynamism.

Research and innovation are not clichés.

It is team work that makes a company grow

and excel. The design industries are produc-

tive and highly technological industries.

Research and the use of new materials, just as

the ability to lend new performance to

traditional ones, are fundamental conditions

for the evolution of styles, to enhance them

and to make the aesthetic invariants of every

industry more attractive. Speaking about

the style of a product actually means

speaking about the company’s production

style, how it has been able to organize its

production processes, in short therefore,

the environment, sustainability, recycling.

Three difficult words that even the less

knowledgeable members of the public

have become sensitive to. Today we can

affirm that certificates, traceability, limited

energy consumption for production, low

environmental impact, staff health and

safety all affect the definition of style for

a company and consequently the approval

of its products.

he production houses that, considering

the current complex and competitive

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f the fashion system, with its incredibly

T

company and the client. It is no longer

simply a commercial relationship, one that

is smart or friendly, call it what you will,

but it is one of real esteem and affection.

If the client is informed about the company’s

awareness on matters like the environment

and the well-being of its staff, they are

naturally more inclined to become loyal.

The “style of production” is therefore

another important message that is conveyed.

Clients purchase because they share certain

company ethical values. Taking this idea to

extremes, the client becomes, in a certain

way, a new member of the family, compa-

ny. The general public are a mysterious lot:

multilayered, difficult, fickle, absent-mind-

ed, international; their bio-economic clock

is tachycardic and beats to the upbeat rhythm

of trends

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, which, says Deyan Sudjic,

Director of the Design Museum in London

“is the most developed form of planned

obsolescence” and so, the so-called public,

once their attention has been captured,

he style of production actually deter-

mines a new relationship between the

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or rather, the current existing one needs to

be updated, integrated and adapted.

Because style in its essence is always

present, a set of physical and immaterial

factors, its form and vision, the life of an

object and the hype or aura that surrounds

is what often makes it desirable. Today

it is no longer enough just to describe an

object, to show every slight detail. It is

said that everyone wants to live an experi-

ence, and a unique one at that. The two

dimensional and immobile world of photos,

even the more artistic ones, has become

small and in order to get themselves known

and be experienced, products of design

must find other places, other worlds or at

least images of other worlds, to position

themselves in.

n order to “communicate style” a “new

style of communication is required”,

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nication as a medium/ long term invest-

ment. In order to have significant results

there is, however, from the outset, a

discriminating factor, that is to say, that

that experience must merge into the

company’s stylistic DNA, into a pre-exist-

ing wealth of authentic experiences and

visions. An essential condition so that the

activities of cultural promotion can then

he direction of cultural experience is

a desirable choice of style for commu-

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