On occasion of Expo 2015 in Milan, Design Memorabilia celebrates the lifestyle and culture of Italy through a collection of objects for food, designed by 32 famous Italian designers. It’s fitting that the first of Design Memorabilia’s collections celebrate contemporary Italian design, as George M. Beylerian, the firm’s founder, launched his first business, the renowned design store Scarebaeus, to bring the “Italian Look” to New York in the 1960s. Speaking to the theme of the 2015 World’s Fair, “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” Design Memorabilia invited thirty-two Italian designers – among them Mario Bellini, Cini Boeri, Andrea Branzi, Aldo Cibic, Piero Lissoni, Federica Marangoni, Alberto Meda, Alessandro Mendini, Paola Navone, Tobia Scarpa, and Ettore Sottsass – to develop tabletop objects that embody the creative energy that we as human beings bring to the preparation and enjoyment of food. Bearing the red ‘T’ logo of La Trienniale di Milano, the prestigious museum of Italian contemporary design, the Design Memorabilia Italy collection presents a range of thirty-two fine utilitarian objects – plates, mugs, bowls, salt and pepper mills, an olive oil dispenser, a bottle opener, a vase, and other items. Colorful or graphic, elemental or embellished, serious or humorous, wry or whimsical, they are designed to be appealing, useful and affordable.
