INTERVIEW Michele Caniato and Culture + Commerce

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Michele CaniatoWhat exactly does Culture + Commerce™ business consist of? Which are the interlocutors it is addressed to?
Culture + Commerce assists clients with developing a design road map, identifying the objectives of their project, and linking them with the appropriate creative talent to bring it to life. We work under the mission that “good design is good business”. We represent some of the most talented designers in the business, such as Philippe Strack, Paola Navone, Marcel Wanders and Piero Lissoni, to mention just a few. We work with them on business development, project management and an assortment of other services, acting as their agent in the US market. We are essentially “matchmakers”; we  are looking to develop long term collaborations with a great return from a financial and marketing point of view. We also very proudly represent the Salone del Mobile and Federlegno Arredo Eventi for the past 15 years. We support them from a PR and marketing standpoint in the North American market.

In what way Culture + Commerce™ website and activities aim to spread Made in Italy?
The majority of our clients are Italian! For example, we support Italian companies in the USA to connect with the hospitality and residential design industry to specify their products for the next hotel brand or the next restaurant chain. The Made in Italy movement still carries the precision and reliability of the Italian design tradition, and, more importantly, the quality and value of Italian design.
One of our missions in representing Il Salone del Mobile is to promote the most important furniture fair in the world to the US architects, designers and interior designers. The Salone is THE place to be in order to see the most innovative products on the market. As the world is becoming more and more “flat”, Italy is still the leader in the furnishings industry.

Which are the kitchen manufacturers involved and theirmajor projects carried out and results obtained? 
The Kitchen sector is one of the most associated with the Made in Italy movement. The most relevant residential buildings contain Italian kitchens from BOFFI, Snaidero, Scavolini, DADA and Varenna, which are the key Italian players. All of these companies are growing their presence in a market which is always expanding and changing, and seeking to diversify themselves thanks to the quality provided and delivered by our Italian manufacturers. Culture + Commerce is currently working with a leading Italian kitchen maker to create new products. The collaboration will be announced in 2016!