Kicking off is the "Galleria degli Artigiani" call, conceived and implemented by Milano Certosa District, to assign a total of 700 square meters to a selection of professionals who have made craftsmanship their business. The project, promoted in collaboration with ApaConfartigianato Imprese, aims to create a hub entirely dedicated to artisans built to create connections and new business opportunities, in an area already populated by companies and startups that deal with prototyping and design.
Despite being among the few Italian cities to see a growth in inhabitants, there are some critical issues for Milan as well, such as increases in the city's costs, especially real estate costs, which are leading to the expulsion of a social and economic part of the population. These categories include manufacturing, which has seen the disappearance of commercial establishments and artisan stores from the city walls. According to ananalysis conducted by the study office of the Cgia di Mestre it is estimated that between 2012 and 2022 the number of artisans in Italy fell by 17.4 percent (about 325,000). Only the province of Milan has lost 15,991 of them, positioning itself together with Bergamo, Brescia, Verona and Rome among those that have recorded the most important "losses" in absolute terms. Very clear data highlighting how many craft activities are disappearing, despite the fact that Italy is the European leader in the presence of micro and small businesses.
In February 2024 as part of the Milan City Council's Urban Economy Forum, Apa Confartigianato Imprese presented in a network with A.P.I Associazione Piccole Industrie and ACAI Casartigiani, the Manifesto "Milan City without Shops? Artisans and SMEs for the future of Milan on a human and business scale," an articulate reflection reflecting on the coexistence between the big city and micro, small and medium enterprises. A kind of pact: "no shutters down," to incentivize the establishment of a new enterprise to replace the one that closes in all related processes. And it is in this context that the "Artisans' Gallery" project fits, because the creation of new spaces, called "hybrids" in which to incentivize production and the establishment of new stores, is also in the mission of Milano Certosa District.
In fact, RealStep 's goal is to breathe new industrial life into the district by attracting new digital and manufacturing/artisan businesses, offering this new entrepreneurial generation a vibrant and buzzing district that has already attracted quality restaurant brands, multinational companies, and that makes room for green development and the promotion of cultural and social gathering events.
"We want to bring back to the neighborhood an idea, almost, of "renaissance workshops" in which artisans become first artists and then masters for future apprentices; re-activating "the culture of making" that has distinguished Italy in the world. The formula we have chosen is to make traditional and digital realities coexist. The idea is to attract people to our neighborhood who espouse our philosophy and have the same passion as us."
Vincenzo Giannico, General Manager of RealStep
THE PROJECT.
The Galleria degli Artigiani, located at 79 Via Ludovico di Breme, has been redeveloped by RealStep to create a 1,000-square-meter hub dedicated to arts and crafts (700 of which were the subject of the call and 300 already assigned to realities that first believed in and joined the project) and to enhance the most classic craft activities but also the most modern and innovative declinations.
The gallery features modular rooms arranged in rows made from recycled materials, ranging in size from 30sqm and up. Thanks to the presence of glass windows and a covered pedestrian gallery connecting different structures, those passing through the space will be able to admire what is happening inside, providing the artisans themselves with an exhibition showcase to display their works to the public. Renovations are already underway, and it is expected that by fall there may be the first openings.
A vibrant, cutting-edge area that is already home to several innovative entrepreneurial ventures such as Designtech 's CoFactory dedicated to three-dimensional innovation in design-and Auto1 Group, the startup dedicated to buying and selling used cars. The area is also home to several multinationals such as Beko Europe, Medtronic, Zeiss, VF, UCB Pharma, Sandvik, Schuco, Schaeffler and Expressions Parfumées.
HOW TO APPLY
Artisans working in the home system, fashion and accessories, mobility and sustainability sectors should apply by July 15, 2024 by filling out a special form and send a 3-minute video in which they should tell about themselves and their work, whether the business already exists or is starting, and why they want to join the Milano Certosa District community.
Applications will be analyzed and selected by an advisory board whose members will include Vincenzo Giannico, General Manager of RealStep; Salvatore Saldano, Entrepreneur and Product Designer specializing in Digital Fabrication; Paolo Manfredi, Digital Transformation Consultant for Confartigianato Imprese, head of the digital innovation hub of Confartigianato Milano, Monza and Brianza; and Gianluca Bocchetta, interior designer.
Once the selection phase has passed, an in-person interview with a visit to the spaces will be organized where the selected artisans will receive all the technical information about the premises and contract conditions.
THE ADVISORY BOARD
Vincenzo Giannico
Vincenzo Giannico, General Manager and Director of RealStep, has been an active part in the growth of the Milano Certosa District project over the past six years, working alongside CEO Stefano Sirolli in the district's development strategy. Among the latest projects he has personally overseen is the creation of a unique food district, capable of bringing to Certosa entrepreneurs and leading figures from the international restaurant scene who have decided to espouse a certain philosophy of naturalness, territoriality and social commitment.
Salvatore Saldano
Entrepreneur and Product Designer specialized in Digital Fabrication, with focus on Additive Manufacturing. In 2013 he participates in the birth of FabLab Milano supported by Mike Bongiorno Foundation, a project with non-profit and social aggregation purposes. In 2015 he founds Shapemode, a company operating in the additive manufacturing sector while in 2017 he creAates the Numen Institute, with the aim of creating professional figures useful to the growing market of additive manufacturing and digital fabrication looking for these new figures. In 2021 Shapemode is acquired by a High Fashion clothing manufacturer Group, where Saldano begins to bring the 3D experience previously acquired to the service of Top Luxury Brands. Since January 2024 he has been doing 3D consulting and design work for the Industrial, Fashion and Design sectors.
Paul Manfredi
Paolo Mandredi has been working on the relationship between digital, territorial systems and SMEs for more than 20 years. He is a digital transformation consultant for Confartigianato Imprese, head of the digital innovation hub of Apa Confartigianato Imprese Milano - Monza e Brianza, and co-founder and impact manager of Upskill4.0 Società Benefit. He is the author of The Tailor-made Economy (2016), Province not Periphery (2019) and Excellence Is Not Enough (2023). He edits the blog Grimpeur: climbing the mountain of inclusive innovation for "Nova 100 - Il Sole 24Ore" and a columnist for Il Gambero Rosso. He travels around Italy to learn about it, often by bicycle.
Gianluca Bocchetta
Velvet Studio is an interior and product design studio based in Turin, Italy, founded in 2012 by Gianluca Bocchetta. The studio was born from the need to investigate the sense of space and the feeling of those who live in it, along with the desire to design experiential, ergonomic, useful and beautiful spaces, with the conviction to always remain true to their style and design practice. This ethical and moral vision translates into unconventional designs. The design of clear, honest, sometimes brutal forms is the starting point of each project, which follows, based on the culture and know-how of natural materials, objects and finishes, a design that has as a constant reference the exaltation of craftsmanship and everything that is produced manually. "Rooms, environments and homes must convey pleasure and comfort to those who use them. In the residential sphere, for example, we combine design with sensory ergonomics, interpreting every need of the customer, so that the use of spaces such as objects take on functional value as well as aesthetic value and pleasure of living."