Bettina Bush Mignanego

According to the 9th edition of Altagamma Consumer and Retail Insight, the wealthiest customers in the luxury market will increase their spending by 2024. Out of 370 million high-end consumers, 20 million will be very active. China will lead this trend with strong local demand, followed by the United States, while Europe will be notably more cautious.

In 2022, the art market and collectible sales have increased by 12% within leading international auction houses. Yet, over the past months, results have decreased.

If virtual reality is a revolution in progress, the figures show a contrasted truth. While Meta’s Reality Labs division dedicated to the development of the metaverse was losing $13.7 billion in 2022, including $4.3 billion during the fourth quarter, 141 virtual worlds were created overall, according to an analysis by the Politecnico di Milano University.

The close intertwining between art, beauty and well-being is not new. The European Agenda for Culture believes that investment in the cultural sector is essential for social and economic development in welfare societies.

The Altagamma Foundation, which brings together 112 companies profiled in the Italian high-end sector, has published its first Charter of Luxury Values. Its president Matteo Lunelli explains the reasons for this step forward, which sets out the goals and values of Italian luxury.

Saudi Arabia has been experiencing a breath of fresh air in recent years, driven by a clear and well-defined objective: to achieve the Vision 2030 project. This deadline aims to mark the country’s departure from its economic dependence on fossil fuels and symbolize its opening to the world. Culture and contemporary art serve as key mediums for exerting impactful soft power.

Early March, influencer Chiara Ferragni caused a sensation on a television show in Italy, thanks to her dresses designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director of Dior, and the collective Claire Fontaine, with feminist messages that dared to challenge establishment.

Rethinking cities to make them an ideal place to live adapted to climate and social changes, is a major challenge for architects. Hope City in Ghana and Neom in Saudi Arabia are futuristic cities that open the debate on what urbanization should look like in the decades to come. Interview with Paolo Brescia, founder of Open Building Research.

In Portofino and Paraggi, the summer of 2022 will long be remembered. Businessmen and international celebrities flocked to this chic Italian seaside resort. While retaining its identity, this small, thousand-year-old port has successfully undergone a transformation and is attracting new investment.

The new Darsena del Sale in Cervia is a temple of wellness transformed into a space dedicated to culture, entertainment and design. From its rich past, the place projects itself into the future, with a set of offers capable of mobilising the five senses in an innovative way.

TEFAF New York ended with great success and significant attendance. The general manager of TEFAF fairs, Will Korner, confirms that the biggest art and antiquity fair worldwide, famous for spanning 9000 years of history, has become influential in modern art.

Italy, after France and Germany, has the third largest industrial ecosystem of cosmetics production in Europe. Mainly specialized in make-up, more than 60% of the products sold in the world are manufactured in Italy.

Luca Bassani, the visionary founder of Wally boats, has revolutionized the way of sailing, as well as the lifestyle at sea. Now he’s creating floating villas with a sustainable concept.

To sailing afficionados, The Ocean Race is legendary and the most famous crewed race around the world. Just six months to cross the most remote and challenging seas on the planet, 32,000 miles in the most difficult waters: for its 50th edition, from January to June 2023, it will take place for the first time in the Mediterranean, in Genoa, Italy.

Almost 2,100 exhibitors will unveil their new products in Milan, after a two-year forced break due to the pandemic. Maria Porro, the new president of the world’s largest furniture exhibition, wants to propel the fair towards an ambitious project of circularity and sustainability, capable of accelerating the ecological transition of the furniture industry.