Beauty will save the world
The environment, nature, towns and cities. But also fashion, art, design, craft traditions or the inevitable food. In a word, all things Beautiful (with a capital B) in Italy, its true signature style and its authentic economic driver. A driver that knows no crisis, which during the shock of the pandemic, while entire industrial sectors were almost wiped out, suffered only a slight downturn; an inexhaustible driver that represents the true DNA of Italy and its “know-how.”
Banca Ifis has calculated how much the Italian beauty economy is worth, and the figure gives us an idea of the country's true potential: 500 billion by 2022, more than a quarter of total GDP (26.1 percent), growing steadily (+16 percent over 2021 and +8 percent over 2019). Driver, growth potential but also care. In fact, the beauty economy has made an important contribution to the recovery of the Italian economy after the two-year period of the pandemic if we consider that, in 2022, it accounted for 56 percent of the increase in national GDP over the previous year and as much as 33 percent of the increase over 2019, the last year before COVID-19.
Knowing how to do of the wise hands is tantamount to saving the world. Creating a community within which there is not only work, but there is work aimed at another purpose, at a larger community is undoubtedly saving the world
At sector level, there are 8 sectors that contributed to the growth of beauty GDP compared to 2019: Agribusiness (EUR 13 billion) and Tourism (EUR 11 billion) saw the largest increase, but Technology, Cosmetics, Home System, Environment, Watches and Jewelry, and Automotive also did well, thanks to the strong development of the purpose-driven approach (as opposed to the design-driven approach that focuses on style and aesthetics).
Not only aesthetic beauty, though, but also Italian-made “savoir faire.”. It is precisely artisan “know-how” that still makes up 54 percent of the turnover of Italian manufacturing. More importantly, in almost 9 out of 10 cases, manufacturing firms do not think machines can replace craftsmanship.
The beauty industry—very uncommonly—sees virtually no difference between North and South, East or West in Italy. While craftsmanship at national level makes up 54 percent of manufacturing turnover, that percentage fluctuates between 58 percent in the South and 51 percent in the Northwest but never falls below these proportions.
This is the level at which the typical Italian artisan ecosystem is created; the distinctive model of collaboration and contamination between master of art, manufacturing and business. The dynamic that is perhaps the true hallmark of true Italian style.
"Give a person something good to do and they will change their own perception. It's not just about doing something, it's about doing a good thing. This continuous game of challenges, in attempting the impossible in terms of creativity, is very Italian, and this is what we need to tell the world about because this is what the world expects from us."
A wealth of experience and knowledge that is in danger of being lost if we consider the decline in craft businesses (-32 percent of active operators since 2000, mainly in manufacturing) and the fact that in the last two years many craft businesses (41 percent) have faced a generational transition, often related precisely to the transmission of the business.
“The know-how of skilled hands is tantamount to saving the world," explained visual artist Gian Maria Tosatti. "There is no mid-way between saving it and making it fail. Creating a community within which there is not just work, but work aimed at a higher purpose, at a wider community, undoubtedly means saving the world."
This concept is also shared by Giulio Cappellini, designer and art director of Flaminia. "Give a person something good to do and they will change their own perception. It's not just about doing something, it's about doing a good thing. This continuous game of challenges, in attempting the impossible in terms of creativity, is very Italian, and this is what we need to tell the world about because this is what the world expects from us."
To restore beauty to the area, Banca Ifis also opened the “International Sculpture Park” in Mestre (Venice) in celebration of its 40th anniversary. The idea was promoted by President Ernesto Furstenberg Fassio, and transformed Villa Furstenberg Park into a permanent exhibition of contemporary art with a collection, which will be revised every year, featuring 12 works by major contemporary artists, including Botero, Mitoraj, Atchugarry, Fabre, Morris and Barni.
The new museum space will be open free to the public from spring 2024 and will be twinned with the Italy Pavilion at the Biennale.
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