“’Made in Italy’ goes beyond the label,” Carcano adds. “It’s not about chasing trends but about creating something timeless.”

Carcano will deliver a talk titled “Speaking ‘Made in Italy’” on Oct. 17 at the Museum of Vancouver. Part of Italian Design Weeks’ seventh edition, her talk will explore Italian identity, culture and style.

A living philosophy

Carcano sees the Made in Italy association as a global phenomenon – one that highlights Italian craftsmanship and creativity. According to her, this cultural association was popularized during the 1960s with the Federico Fellini film, La Dolce Vita, which brought “Italian style, joy and sophistication” to the world.

“Since then, Italian design has become synonymous with elegance, craftsmanship and originality,” the lecturer adds.

At the heart of this craftmanship lies the philosophy Bello, Ben Fatto, commonly translated as “beautiful, well made.” The phrase is central to the Italian managerial culture. According to Carcano, this design philosophy highlights the importance of aesthetics in addition to functionality.

“[The phrase] conveys the idea that a product is there to also please the eyes…to delight the senses and endure through time,” she shares.

While the term is difficult to “translate fully,” Carcano points out that its ideals are “instantly understood” in Italian produced objects, be it a Ferrari vehicle or Alessi teapot. She traces this power of Italian design to skilled craftsmanship rooted in old traditions.

“Italian craftsmanship remains deeply local, relying on family businesses that value excellence, joy and creativity; it’s rooted in their roots and their DNA,” she shares. “Many [luxury brands] even fund training schools to ensure the survival of artisanal skills that date back to Renaissance guilds.”

According to Carcano, this commitment to producing in Italy gives products a “human touch and craftsmanship” that cannot be replicated by machinery. This idea of design also extends beyond conventional artistic sectors. Italian artisans emphasize both aesthetics and durability across different fields – including fashion, furniture, automobiles, boats, and even household items.

“Italian design speaks symbolically: it communicates values of creativity, quality and cultural depth,” Carcano says

A timeless design

Italian design is also a living dialogue – between past and present, heritage and innovation – that holds valuable lessons for Vancouverites. Carcano looks forward to sharing this “design mindset” with the city’s multicultural audience.

“In a diverse audience like Vancouver, people may interpret [Made in Italy] differently,” she reflects. “But there are always shared associations like elegance, quality [and] lifestyle.”

Carcano plans to use Italian words and references in her talk to highlight connections between language, culture and creative philosophy. The talk will also encourage audiences to see design as a form of communication.

“Design is a way to connect with heritage while embracing contemporary challenges like sustainability, digital innovation and global markets,” she adds. “Italian companies cannot compete on scale or price, so they compete on difference – on beauty, on meaning.”

She hopes that audiences leave with a richer sense of how design communicates values, inspires cross-cultural collaborations and encourages the balance between heritage and innovation.

As “form and function merge into a cultural statement” in Italian products, Carcano sees Italian design as creating objects and experiences that endure through time.

“[Made in Italy] is not just a label,” she adds. “It’s an inspiration, a philosophy that belongs to the world.”

Carcano’s talk is presented in collaboration with SFU’s Department of World Languages and Literatures. She is also an academic director at SFU’s Beedie School of Business. The talk will mark the 25th edition of the Week of Italian Language in the World.

Italian Design Weeks 2025 also includes a Lalizas Trade Show (Oct. 17–18), culinary demonstrations with Italian Canadian cook Pina Bresciani (Oct. 22) and a closing night gala at Acquafarina (Oct. 30).

For more information about Italian Design Weeks, see www.italiandesignmap.com/events