We are in Verona, where since Thursday Fieracavalli — the international event dedicated to the equestrian world — has been taking place. The event brings together sport, breeding, rural tourism and culture. A global point of reference for the sector, Fieracavalli has also served as the stage for the launch of the Equilibrio project. The focus: Made in Italy excellence expressed in three chapters, all linked to the equestrian world — sport, craftsmanship, and fashion. In the second, the spotlight is cast on leather and hide, materials of choice in equestrian culture, told through the words and experience of two Tuscan tanneries: Masoni and Tuscania.
Telling stories through Equilibrio
Equilibrio is a project promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. It is carried out in collaboration with UNIC – Italian Tanneries, Assocalzaturifici, CNMI (Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana), Confartigianato and FISE (Italian Equestrian Sports Federation). It is “a genuine operational tool of economic diplomacy,” explains the MAECI, “part of the growth diplomacy strategy and the Export Plan strongly supported by Minister Antonio Tajani. It aims to present our productive and cultural excellence abroad and has been made available to the diplomatic-consular network of Embassies, Consulates and Italian Cultural Institutes for global promotion”.
Three chapters
Equilibrio is “a video narrative in three episodes intertwining the world of sport — and in particular equestrianism — with the leather supply chain, craftsmanship and fashion”. The first episode focuses on “the sporting realities that make equestrianism a discipline of great tradition and prestige for our country, highlighting the role of leather as the sport’s material par excellence”. The second episode shines a light on the role of Italian tanneries (specifically Masoni and Tuscania) and two outstanding examples of leather craftsmanship: Alberto Fasciani Group and Bottega Conticelli. The third episode “explores the dialogue with contemporary creativity and fashion”.
Masoni and Tuscania
“To make leather, you need tradition. You need time. You need patience”, says Fabrizio Masoni, owner of Masoni Industria Conciaria (pictured right), in the video. “We make something important and precious. A passion has been passed down to us, and we feel a responsibility towards it”. A passion that faces a daily challenge: “to maintain craftsmanship while combining it with innovation and new technologies”, says Francesco Giannoni, CEO of Tuscania Industria Conciaria (pictured left). All this, “while trying to automate what can be automated within a very long production process. The passion that us Italians bring to making things cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Our added value lies in the finishing stage, in the skill of expert hands”. In other words, in the ability to balance tradition and modernity.
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