Author: Dromedian

It is official: from today Biella is part of the “Unesco Creative Cities” Network!

The capital of wool enters the network for creativity in the “Crafts & Folk Art” sector after enchanting Paris in recent days with the beauty of its know-how that has its diamond point in the textile industry and with a focus on sustainability. A surprising goal that enhances the great commitment of the whole territory that never as on this occasion has worked together for a common goal and which has recorded the convinced endorsement of the governor of Piedmont Alberto Cirio who has strongly requested the entry of Biella as the third Piedmontese city after Turin and Alba.

Together with Biella it entered the network Bergamo for gastronomy while Como and Trieste were excluded.

“I am happy for this extraordinary result that enhances our great commitment – comments the President of the Cassa di Risparmio di Biella Foundation Franco Ferraris – Biella has really great potential not only in the field of textile creativity, since our territory is rich in beauties that entering this network will allow us to enhance and make known. It is the best day since I assumed the Presidency of the Foundation. I thank all the partners who contributed to the victory“.

Claudio Corradino, Mayor of Biella declares: “Today is a day of celebration for the whole city. No one excluded. The community has won, a territory that, as in rare other occasions, has managed to move together in a united way. Biella is Creative City Unesco 2019 and the efforts of months of great work are rewarded, a thank you must be renewed to the partners that have believed and supported the project. My wish is that this recognition can be a driving force for the re-launch of the territory, certainly we show signs of great vitality that make us be optimistic for the future”.

Great satisfaction also for the Pistoletto Foundation, which made a decisive contribution to the operation by providing the logo of the Third Paradise which embodies the values ​​of the city and which was able to count on the extremely important support of the network of Third Paradise embassies in the world.

“Thanks to those who believed that the Symbol of the Third Paradise could successfully accompany this passage that marks a transition, a regeneration of our territory, which unites past and future, industry and culture, nature and artifice. Come on, then, all together let’s see how beautiful our model is. We improve our limits, and celebrate our successes. Together we win” declares the Director of Cittadellarte Paolo Naldini.

“We at Cittadellarte are delighted that Biella has been recognized as a UNESCO Creative City under the auspicious sign of the Third Paradise” declared Michelangelo Pistoletto enthusiastically.

“A beautiful news that fills us with joy and pride – commented the President of the Piedmont Region Alberto Cirio – I had a positive perception already during my last mission in Paris, together with the mayor of Biella, precisely to support this candidacy. After Alba for gastronomy and Turin for design, Biella is the third city in Piedmont to enter the “Creative Cities” circuit and deserves it. Thanks go to all those who have made this great result possible. And now to work to turn this important recognition into jobs and tourism turnover. UNESCO confirms Piedmont as a World Heritage Site!”

Finally, great satisfaction from all the project management team composed of Andrea Quaregna and Federica Chilà for the Cassa di Risparmio di Biella Foundation; Alberto Cecca and Barbara Greggio for Municipality of Biella; Marina Maffei and Margherita Cugini for Cittadellarte, Angelo Boscarino and Elena Federica Marini for the consulting company BIA Srl which has followed the project from the beginning.

On Wednesday 23 October in Paris – on the occasion of the CreativItaly event held at the UNESCO headquarters and dedicated to the presentation of the 4 finalist Italian cities – special textile productions were exhibited in the corner dedicated to Biella in which the technological content and manufacturing quality are combined attention to environmental sustainability and the cultural value inherent in the garment.

The UNESCO ambassadors were thus able to admire the new wool jersey polo shirt chosen as a uniform by the Gondoliers of Venice, who have recently expressed their support for Biella’s candidacy.

The 433 gondoliers of Venice have in fact decided to wear a new versatile fabric, 100% natural and renewable thanks to the collaboration of The Woolmark Company and the Venetian fashion house Emilio Ceccato.

The new fabrics are by Successori Reda and Tollegno 1900, two historical Biellese companies. Merino wool has been chosen for its natural isothermal and breathable characteristics. Reda Active fabrics were used for the polo shirts, specifically designed to give the best in sports performance, while the sweater yarn comes from the Tollegno 1900 house.

The initiative brings the gondoliers back to the renewal of a centuries-old tradition of wearing quality wool uniforms already at the beginning of the 1900s.

With this uniform, the Gondoliers were honored on 22 September with the Eco Stewardship Award from the Italian Chamber of Fashion and Eco-Age for the responsible use of wool in their uniforms, a return to their origins in the name of modernity.

Here is the letter sent by the President of the Gondolieri Association of Venice:

GONDOLIERI ASSOCIATION OF VENICE

President

On behalf of all the 433 Gondoliers of Venice I am truly happy and honored to support the city of Biella in its UNESCO Creative Cities Network candidacy.

For about a year, with the support of The Woolmark Company, we were able to wear our Merino wool uniforms again after 100 years.

Thanks to the well-known creativity and innovation of the Biellese wool industry, the garments we wear are the best answer to our quality and performance needs and in line with the fundamental principles of eco-sustainability that characterize our work.

…… without Biella what wool would it be! …

Thanks and “ad maiora”.

Andrea Balbi

President

Gondoliers Association of Venice.

While the Biella delegation was on its way to Paris, on Tuesday evening Ezio Greggio – television host, comedian, actor and director, and first of all from Biella – was cheering directly from Striscia la notizia!

These are his words: “The city of Biella will present the official candidacy for entry into the network of UNESCO Creative cities and then tonight we will be rooting for Biella: Forza Biella!” (here you can see the video).

And Massimo Gramellini – Italian journalist, writer and television presenter, deputy editor and columnist for Corriere della Sera, but above all originally from Turin – has published a post on his Facebook profile in support of the candidacy: “As a good Piedmontese, I support Biella, that is a candidate to become a UNESCO Creative City. Let’s support it together! ” (here you can see the post).

Special thanks from all the Biella Creative City team!

Final jokes for Biella’s candidacy as a UNESCO Creative City that yesterday, October 23, took part in Paris at the CreativItaly event held at the Unesco headquarters and dedicated to the presentation of the 4 Italian finalist cities.

Presided over by a delegation composed of the Municipality of Biella (Mayor Claudio Corradino and Councilor Barbara Greggio), the Cassa di Risparmio di Biella Foundation (Deputy Secretary General Andrea Quaregna and Communication Manager Federica Chilà), Fondazione Pistoletto (Director Paolo Naldini and Project Manager Marina Maffei) , Bia Srl (Project Manager Elena Federica Marini) and Young Entrepreneurs in the person of the President Francesco Ferraris who gave a brief but incisive speech in support of Biella’s entry into the network, the event was addressed to UNESCO ambassadors from all over the world who they welcomed him with great enthusiasm.

The four finalist cities (Biella, Bergamo, Como and Trieste) have therefore expressed the best of their productions in their respective Unesco areas with Biella which astonished for the beauty and particularity of their production which presented a selection of “Cubes in motion“, opera curated by Cittadellarte in collaboration with CNA, which represents the excellence of the Biella and Piedmontese territory through the collaboration between the creativity of the artisan and the artisan, to enhance a product of local entrepreneurship.

Alongside the “cubes”, some special textile productions have been exhibited in which attention to environmental sustainability and the cultural value inherent in the garment was added to the technological content and manufacturing quality.

The UNESCO ambassadors were thus able to admire the new wool jersey polo shirt chosen as a uniform by the Gondoliers of Venice, who have recently expressed their support for Biella’s candidacy. Born from the collaboration of The Woolmark Company with the Venetian fashion house Emilio Ceccato, the polo worn by the Venice gondoliers is in fact made with the new fabrics produced by Successori Reda, a historic Biella-based company. Reda Active fabrics are made of Merino wool, a material chosen for its natural isothermal and breathable characteristics. With this uniform, the Gondoliers were honored on 22 September with the Eco Stewardship Award from the Italian Chamber of Fashion and Eco-Age for the responsible use of wool in their uniforms, a return to their origins in the name of modernity.

Also part of the new Gondolier uniform is a special Australian Merino wool sweater made with Tollegno 1900 yarn that echoes the traditional motifs.

Thanks to the collaboration with the Zegna Group, a very important look came from London, consisting of a quilted one-and-a-half quilted coat in Siberian green recycled polyester and black beluga with City jacquard motifs, hidden buttoning and fashion show lapels. Black beluga cashmere and silk neckline sweater and plum chocolate detail. Single-breasted suit in Warsaw gray wool, fashion show pockets and lapels, mono-pince trousers with double hem and zip. EZ Cesare XXX sneakers.

The look was created as part of the #usethexisting project, which received the “CMNI in Recognition of Sustainability” award.

As evidence of Biella’s commitment to sustainability, two dresses made by fashion designers who have collaborated for years with Cittadellarte Fashion BEST have also been exhibited. One is the winner of the Green Carpet Talent Competition 2019, created by Flavia La Rocca, made entirely of TENCEL ™ – Lenzing fiber, hand dyed with organic colors. The other is the dress of another BEST designer, Tiziano Guardini, winner of the Franca Sozzani GCC Best Emerging Designer Award in 2017. Guardini’s dress is in non-violent silk certified Gots with natural coloring from indigo, Octopus embroidery formed by shells of molluscs and lasered CDs in the shape of sequins.

“The quality of our textile production, the sustainability and the technological content of our yarns are what distinguish us in the world – explained the President of Young Entrepreneurs Francesco Ferraris excited and proud for the important role of spokesman of the city entrusted to him by the Mayor Claudio Corradino – I am sure that Biella has all the credentials to enter the Unesco network and is a city hungry for the future as are we young people”.

Great excitement also for the Mayor Claudio Corradino who had already brought Biella to Paris earlier this month and who now says he is certain to be ever closer to the goal “we await with confidence the Unesco response, aware of having done everything possible, thanks to the partners and in particular to the Cassa di Risparmio di Biella and Pistoletto Foundations as well as to the Bia company without which the Municipality alone could not have achieved any of this“.

“The role of art is also to help create bridges between men and in this case it was truly Unesco that was the flag under which the Biella area fought united – explains Cittadellarte Director Paolo Naldini – Cittadellarte and magister Pistoletto have fielded all their energies and available contacts, the logo of the Third Paradise has become the logo of the Candidature, now really we just have to wait for the feedback of the evaluators aware that they are still and always at the center of the MI-TO“.

And that really the entry of Biella in the Unesco network represents not only a local issue, but now involves transversally political, diplomatic and entrepreneurial forces is witnessed once more by the strong video message of support sent by the President of the Region Alberto Cirio who, recognizing to the Biellese the excellence of a productive and creative DNA, strongly asks UNESCO to complete the triad of Piedmontese cities composed by Alba for gastronomy and Turin for design by suggesting the many potentialities for the development of the inherent Region in this project.

In addition to the beauty of garments that combine tradition and modernity always with an eye to the environment, Biella has surprised Unesco for the particularity of its food and wine products, offered by the Biella companies that have been able to grasp the potential of this extraordinary showcase (Centovigne Società Agricultural, Sperino Property – Azienda Agricola Vigneti De Marchi, Tenute Sella 1671, Agricultural Company La Prevostura, Birra Menabrea Spa, Lauretana Spa, Dairy Pier Luigi Rosso Srl, Cheese Botalla Srl, Gabba Salumi) and presented by chefs Ivan and Franco Ramella.

Paletta, maccagno, water, beer, wines and the amazing “Fricc dal marghè” enriched by the white truffle of Alba, thanks to the collaboration with the International Fair of Alba white truffle, have composed a symphony of new and highly appreciated flavors next to the offers of the other finalist cities in the context of an informal evening that amused and amazed.

“At this point everything was done to present a strong dossier of sustainable and impactful projects, with particular attention to international collaborations such as the one started with Namibia, with which we will have a rich exchange program in November – explains the Deputy Secretary General of the Cassa di Risparmio di Biella Foundation Andrea Quaregna representing President Franco Ferraris engaged in China – the Unesco evaluation process must now take its course and in any case the final verdict will find us ready and serene, aware of the force of the territory and of the virtuous path we have taken together to create a new development paradigm“.

Next appointment then in November with the announcement of the winners.