Variazione 00 - Prototypes

The Bagatti Valsecchi Museum presents Variazione 00. Prototypes, the first of the variations of Archivio Mantero, a project that traces the 122-year history of the Como textile company Mantero in a contemporary key.

The concept of variation in textile language represents the ability to capture the essence of a historical design and update it, keeping it recognisable but bringing it into the present. This combination of tradition and innovation defines a visual language that knows how to pay homage to the past while projecting into the future.

The protagonist of this first variation is Giorgio Di Salvo, designer and founder of United Standard, who with his vision has reinterpreted one of the Archive's necklaces: the Avantgard textile studio. Founded in 1975 by Fabrizio Navarra, Avantgard is a treasure trove of 270,000 digital files, 32,000 printed fabric swatches and 3,000 handmade designs. Di Salvo, through a careful selection of archive materials, divided into the categories Allover, Collages and Small Drawings, has created three original graphic works: Monochrome Metal Pattern, Disassembled Vehicles Combination, and Superhero Vector Mask.

The project materialises through the graphic design, printing and creation of three kites, works of ingenuity deeply connected to the artisanal and historical essence of silk.

The kites will be on display at the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum from 8 to 10 November, accompanying the permanent collection and offering visitors a unique encounter between tradition and the avant-garde.

Located in the heart of Milan's fashion district, the Casa Museo Bagatti Valsecchi shares with the historic Como residence of the Mantero family an intrinsic bond with the culture of beauty and the respect for craftsmanship that defines Italy's artistic heritage.