And between one meeting and another in the capital we interview David Scarparo, president "The Sweet ITA”, a non-profit organization that aims to enhance the Made in Italy according to a model that goes beyond fashion and focuses mainly on an all-Italian lifestyle. Dynamism and concreteness distinguish Scarparo but also a great desire to get involved as a promoter for a relaunch of Italian craftsmanship in the world. His thinking and doing has a precise mission, to create a sharing of principles so that small historic companies can return to being protagonists by recovering the most precious traditions.
Firstonline – How did this project come about and why do you believe that today there is a need to relaunch Italian style as an emblem of refinement and good workmanship??
David Scarparo – Today Italy is experiencing a moment of rebirth, more and more foreigners are choosing to come and live and invest. The city of Rome itself is seeing an increase in quality accommodation facilities that offer an exclusive service to customers who are looking for a unique lifestyle that only we Italians can interpret in that way, even classic, but at the same time in step with the times. There is a need to mend with the past and recreate the need to be able to enjoy experiences that can excite. For this reason we have created a Community with young people who immediately shared the project and help us present it to others in their relational sphere such as entrepreneurs, managers, figures in the world of creativity but above all people who love the charm of Made in Italy. We already have several Ambassador who represent us in other Italian cities and some even abroad, such as Dubai. But we also intend to offer this opportunity to others who wish to educate and influence other young people by sharing the principles of La Dolce ITA. Young people fascinated by the values we intend to offer, because they identify with them.
FIRSTonline – So let's talk about Italian creativity at 360 degrees, from fashion to design to hospitality and more
David Scarparo – Made in Italy includes everything that distinguishes us, but it is in the artisanal model that we make the difference, think of our most traditional fashion brands, which have been acquired by groups with predominantly French funds but where manufacturing is still in the hands of small Italian artisanal businesses. Today we register 346.000 jobs to be filled in the next five years in the key sectors of Italian excellence and to fill this gap we need young talents. Let's not forget that Italian business is also experiencing a generational change where children or heirs often prefer other paths rather than staying in the family business, especially if it is artisanal. Instead, we should encourage them not only to stay but also to resume the tradition of their company to reposition it also with the help of technology and innovation that we can now widely use in order to improve the offer on a more demanding but also more responsible market for consumption. The generational change is happening now and where these two worlds - past and present - intersect, La Dolce ITA intends to propose itself with the aim of building a system through synergies, no longer B2B or B2C but rather Human for Human. To communicate H2H in an authentic way it is necessary to evaluate the changes, to be able to read the behaviors and the related motivations that push people or consumers to make one choice rather than another.
FIRSTOonline – Let's talk about Club La Dolce Ita, what is it??
David Scarparo The Club is based in the Hotel Via Veneto and it starts from an initiative together with Lorenzo Scarsella, owner of this Hotel, recently inaugurated and a point of reference for hospitality and culture. Every month we organize an evening to share that Italian dream made of values and ideas, unique occasions where new knowledge is born that can develop other synergies and where small and medium-sized businesses can exhibit their products of excellence. The invited guests are strictly in Black Tie for men and long dresses for women. The last meetings have been very successful perhaps because we tried to evoke the charm of the 50s that have copied us so much in the world, for class and so much lightheartedness.
April 15th was declared the Made in Italy day, coinciding with the day of the birth of Leonardo Da Vinci, a symbol of Italian creativity. How do you intend to relate to the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy? Do you foresee some sort of collaboration in the near future?
David Scarparo , I think it is very important to be able to engage with institutional partners. The Ministry of Business and Made in Italy will sponsor the Made in Italy Week, an initiative that we developed as “La Dolce Ita” with the aim of celebrating the excellence of Italian manufacturing. The Made in Italy week will be held in Rome from 14 to 16 April in partnership with “CEO for Life". It will be 3 days, with round tables and networking events to better understand the artisanal production processes in Italy, as they represent a heritage to be safeguarded and passed on. Made in Italy Week is a project that will be extended to other Italian cities such as Naples and Milan and which aims to increase visibility and appreciation for Made in Italy, enhancing the role of artisans in order to stimulate new generations to undertake new artisanal and creative professions. And I conclude: I think the time has come to recover that “Italian touch” made of elegance that distinguishes us all over the world. I privilege quality, traditions, transforming them into my rules of life and I am firmly convinced that Italy is the place of quality that makes the “Italian way” so unique and famous all over the world.
For more information MADE ITALY WEEK (browsable PDF below)
