United with the world

Milan, September 2020 - Fornasetti is supporting the "Covid-19 Emergency" campaign of CBM Italia, a humanitarian organisation within CBM International. The organisation works in developing countries, and recently also in Italy, on health and social projects to support the most vulnerable. For the initiative, the Milanese atelier has created a new plate that further extends the iconic "Tema e Variazioni" series. It can be purchased at the #fornasetti stores in Milan and London, and the proceeds will be donated in support of the campaign's activities.

The idea originally came from a message communicated by Barnaba #fornasetti during Italy's lockdown period. He invited us to seize that moment of stasis as a creative opportunity to reflect on the future in a transformative way, seeking a solution that transcends boundaries to unite us in solidarity. The message was accompanied by the face of Lina Cavalieri, icon of the well-known "Tema e Variazioni" decoration, wearing a tricolour mask. The communicative power of the image inspired the Milanese atelier to transform it into a plate, linking it to a tangible act of solidarity. 

With “United with the world”, #fornasetti renews its commitment to support CBM, building on a lasting relationship that has bound the two organisations since 2013, characterised by collaborations and artistic projects of various kinds.

"It is an honour for us to be able to work with #fornasetti again, and we're sure that once again the combination of art and solidarity will appeal and be appreciated by the public. The initiative supports the most fragile people, those for whom we want to ensure the right to health, education and access to the means to lead an active, independent life. Those whom we have been treating and supporting for over 110 years in developing countries and now, during the COVID-19 emergency, in Italy too," declared Massimo Maggio, Director of CBM Italia. 

The support network activated by CBM has already led to significant interventions on various fronts: from the distribution of surgical masks to the boda bodas who transport patients to Kenyan hospitals to the construction of water access points and the translation of informative materials relating to the virus into sign language and Braille. In Italy, having provided tangible support during the health crisis in support of Bergamo's hospice care and the Covid Center in Rozzano, CBM's strategy for tackling the social emergency currently offers support to the families of children with serious disabilities, whom the pandemic threatens to deprive of care and services.

In expressing the message of solidarity of “United with the world”, Barnaba #fornasetti is flanked by Filippa Lagerbäck, ambassador of CBM, who has spent years at the forefront of numerous fundraising campaigns. Thanks to the concrete help of the project's supporters, it will be possible to assist the most vulnerable, with an awareness that we must tackle the crisis together, looking positively towards the future, as the eyes of Lina Cavalieri seem to suggest.

"In this phase, all of us have contributed thanks to the redeeming power of creativity, which convinces us we are alive and reminds us that what brightens up our lives is ideas, improving us and the things around us. There are no limits to what imagination can do, and the appeal I make to myself and to all of us is to live this difficult and extraordinary period as an opportunity to reflect, to experience it with awareness, desire and reflection, becoming part of a community that can clearly see the past, what we no longer are, and more importantly what we would like to become," concludes Barnaba #fornasetti.