Ambassador of style and taste

Ambassador of style and taste
Gelato is often chosen as inspiration for lines of high-end Italian products, thereby acquiring an even greater appeal.

Pop icon in cones and cups, and a stylish proposal in the form of an elegant scoop of savoury gelato.
This delicious product that originated in the kitchens of the lords of Florence and the French courts and eventually spread to other Europe courts is nowadays not only a food for connoisseurs and experts, but also an important symbolic presence that recurs frequently as an inspiration for highly visible products in other sectors, sometimes in surprising and unexpected ways.
This is due to its versatility. In fact it can be found indiscriminately both in the hands of a child and served with a refined drink by the side of the pool of an exclusive five-star resort, happy companion to a nice relaxing break or a fresh and nutritious alternative meal.

Throughout the world the word gelato is synonymous with Made in Italy, craftsmanship, quality, and taste, understood not only as a method, but also as an appreciation of beauty, of a lifestyle of harmony, pleasure of living, the well-known Italian Way of Life, which goes back to the years of the carefree post-war and the myth of La Dolce Vita. Because of its evocative power of suggestion linked to all kinds of emotions, gelato is often used to boost sales of famous brands in many different product sectors. Here are some examples.

HIGH FASHION ON THE GELATO CART

Dolce & Gabbana, the world-famous Italian brand of high fashion apparel and accessories, is known for the unique style that permeates its fashion creations and advertising campaigns, set in the sunny landscapes of Sicily.
The brand’s signature style reflects traditional values, family, harmony, and the exuberant beauty of Italian life, Sicilian life above all.
It was therefore certainly not surprising to see the vibrant presence of gelato carts with real cones and wafers next to shoes and bags in their boutique on Corso Venezia in Milan.
Passers-by were treated to a series of elegant and colourful shop windows in which the world of artisanal gelato from an age now rediscovered conveyed concepts of creativity, sunshine, taste, and quality, reflecting the values of products Made in Italy.
These original and lively Milanese shop windows turned out to be a happy and consistent prelude to subsequent stylistic choices of the brand’s two designers, Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce.
Just think of the women’s fashion shows that were held for the spring/summer seasons (2017), set in tropical atmospheres, surrounded by exuberant nature in which the two volcanic designers presented their collection, including a beautiful dress featuring enticing cones of gelato ready to be eaten and delicious just to look at.
But gelato was not alone among the excellent Italian foods represented in this well-received fashion show.
Other prints depicted superb cannoli, cocktails, pizza, fresh and dried pasta, spaghetti….
Two of the three famous “Fs” of the great exports Made in Italy: Food and wines, Fashion, Furniture and building materials.

A TRIBUTE OF FINE JEWELLERY

Great beauty, elegance, luxury: these are the concepts that come to mind when you contemplate a Bulgari jewel. Since last summer, they can also be considered delicious. In fact, how can you not define as delicious the new line of Bulgari Roman Sorbet jewels launched a few months ago by the fashion house? It is not difficult to understand from the collection’s name that it was inspired by the Dolce Vita depicted in the 1953 movie Roman Holiday directed by William Wyler, an iconic film of the Italian capital’s golden age and the lightness of a season that has left a special impression on the world’s collective imagination.
The new Bulgari jewels are inspired by gelato and sorbets in the colours used in their glazes, but also in their shapes and details: a tribute to the goodness of artisanal gelato, recreated in the delicate but lively tones of creamy treats that cool our summers.
It should be noted that it is a surprising collection of fine jewellery, given that these new creations are somewhat different from the typical lavish Bulgari approach, designing instead a more simple, whimsical line for an extremely refined and wealthy clientele. Glamorous taste yes, but playful and dreamy. The power of gelato…

THE SPOON DOUBLES DOWN

After fashion and jewellery we couldn’t forget the table, more specifically tableware.
And indeed interest in gelato was rekindled by Alessi at the last edition of the Salone del Mobile (2017).
A leading representative of “Factories of Italian Design,” the brand is synonymous with handicrafts made with the help of machines, as this major manufacturer of accessories and products for the table likes to define its production process.
At the trade show the company launched Koki, its second spoon, or rather a special gelato scoop that was part of the  Spring/Summer 2016 “Objets-Bijoux” Collection, created by the designer Valerio Sommella.
Koki has a long handle, its design resembling that of a cushion or a quenelle, while the bowl has an irregular, generous shape to best scoop every type of gelato, even soft versions, with its smooth and creamy texture.
In 2002, Miriam Mirri at Alessi had created a teaspoon combined with a gelato cup specially designed for two people to share, not for nothing called Big Love.
Recognizing the growing success of gelato over the years, the celebrated brand of tableware Made in Italy returned once again to this product, naturally from its amusing and ironic point of view. Thus we have Alessi’s interpretation of the scoop that plunges into this supple and creamy substance and reemerges full of deliciousness: an Italian symbol of good food and good life.

STRIPES AND COLOURS ON GIGANTIC CONES

As we have seen, some summer shop windows of Italian fashion focused very clearly on gelato. Not only as a stylistic motif, but also in the form of an installation inside a cone, flanked by another over-sized cone filled with a giant scoop.

Moschino, an important Italian brand created in the eighties by fashion designer Franco Moschino, has taken the gelato wafer and interpreted it in a manner consistent with the brand’s playful, surreal, and ironic style, magnifying the wafer’s patterns to make it fashionable.
The summer stripes and colours of stylish apparel and a square jewelled clutch go perfectly with the pastel shades of genuine artisanal gelato without artificial colouring. Here fashion and gelato are completely in harmony, expressing and promoting the Made in Italy brand, simple, effective, and captivating.

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