The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

bite lifestyle On the subject of refrigerators, if you want something extravagant, flamboyant, and unique, Dolce & Gabbana and Smeg originally teamed up in 2016 to design several special edition FAB28 refriger- ators that were transformed into unmistakable works of art. Whilst it is true that the two Italian brands belong to two very different creative sectors, they are united by strong values and a tradition for ‘Made in Italy’ excellence, allowing them to combine fashion, design, craftsmanship, and manufacturing. Their partnership created the specially designed FAB28 Smeg re- frigerators with unique Dolce & Gabbana styling, featuring im- ages hand-painted by Sicilian artists. These included lemons, the trinacria symbol, cartwheels, medieval knights and battle scenes, all distinctive elements of poetic marionette theatre, and a Sicilian cart. The primary images developed for each product were further embellished with classic floral motifs. Only 100 exclusive refrigera- tors were produced with a meticulous eye for detail and innovation. The creative visage was also seen in Dolce & Gabbana and Smeg’s collaboration for ‘Sicily is my Love’ which was unveiled during the Milan Design Fair at Salone del Mobile di Milano in 2017. Marking the second partnership from the two brands, appliances including toasters, citrus juicers, coffee machines, kettles, blenders, stand mixers, and slow juicers were all decorated with gold lemons, citrus fruits, prickly pears, and bright red cherries. There were also delicate floral motifs inspired by the coasts and landscapes of Southern Italy and images of the fascinating Mount Etna, surrounded by ornamental friezes, picturesque ruins of the Greek temple of Castor and Pollux in the Valley of Temples, trin- acria and cartocci, a decorative motif similar to stylised acanthus leaves. All of these symbols are inextricably associated with Sicily and home to designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana of the creative designer duo. Thanks to their unique attention to research and development, Smeg’s appliances are a special artefact that arises from a deep study of design, ergonomics, and function. Smeg’s internal design studio carry out painstaking research into aesthetics and style and have the support of internationally renowned Italian architects and in- dustrial designers such as Guido Canali, Mario Bellini, the Piano Design Studio, Marc Newson, Giancarlo Candeago, Matteo Bazzi- calupo, and Raffaella Mangiarotti. Smeg has received several important accolades over the years, in- cluding a Wallpaper* Design Award, a Red Dot Design Award, and an iF Design Award, as well as three Designer Kitchen and Bath- room awards, two Get Connected Product Design awards and mul- tiple Which? Best Buys. In 2015, they won the prestigious ‘White Goods Supplier of the Year’ prize at the ERT Awards. Smeg appliances including the new 1950s retro style aesthet- ic FAB28 Special Edition Mickey Mouse Design with right-hand hinge and energy efficiency class A+++ are available online and Smeg stores in Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania as well as participating retailers in the UK. www.smeguk.com