Handcrafted furniture start-up Slow Wood at the FuoriSalone2014

Press Release
Handcrafted furniture start-up Slow Wood at the FuoriSalone2014
Milan, 20th March 2014
Slow Wood is an innovative new business start-up specializing in wooden furniture and accessories produced by a
network of top craftsmen and designers, which fuses tradition with innovation, world class design and
craftsmanship, business know-how and culture.
Slow Wood is a unique incubator for ideas and initiatives. For the upcoming Salone del Mobile in Milan, the
start-up will be opening a new showroom in the Brera Design District in the heart of the city. The space,
called Slow Wood LabStore, will remain open after the Salone del Mobile has closed and act as a cultural
and commercial “engine room” for the new enterprise, providing a space in which experts and enthusiasts
alike will have the opportunity to attend a series of talks and meetings and admire the design objects and
furniture on display.
Slow Wood’s founders are Gianni Cantarutti, a woods and forests expert and enthusiast and Marco
Parolini, a former renewable energy engineer and manager with a passion for design and handcraft. While
Marco is responsible for all aspects of international relations and promotion, Gianni leads product research
and development and manages Slow Wood’s network of manufacturers.
As Marco Parolini explains, the idea behind Slow Wood was developed by the two founders over a period of
time: “For a number of years, first Gianni and then both of us together had been involved in organizing cultural
activities in collaboration with wood professionals and enthusiasts with the aim of promoting skilled
craftsmanship and sparking renewed interest in wood as a design material. Last year came the turning
point: we knew we were working with really top class craftsmen and decided to channel our ideas into a
business project based on what we imagined might prove a successful economic model, with the aim of
supporting and garnering visibility for the craftsmen and their work. We chose to focus on design and to
target the international market, opting to deploy the sort of start-up models that are popular in the US.
Having participated in the business incubator program SAMBA (Sant'Anna Milky Business Angels), we
managed to raise capital from around twenty angel investors”.
The Slow Wood project aims to promote and gain exposure for traditional, skilled Italian craftsmanship using
innovative tools and processes.
Slow Wood hotspots at the FuoriSalone2014
Slow Wood LabStore: a new space located in Foro Buonaparte, which will host three events during
the Salone del Mobile week, dedicated to the strengths of the Slow Wood network, to the special
qualities of wood and to high quality handcrafted furniture.
Upcoming events:
• Wed. 9 April 18:00: Opening and presentation of the Slow Wood network
• Fri. 11 April 15:00: “Il legno non esiste, esistono i legni” (The multiplicity of woods)
• Sun. 13 April 15:00: “Lavoro artigiano: dalla materia alla forma” (Materials and form in handcrafted
production)
Location: Foro Buonaparte 44/a – 20121 Milano (Tue-Sat 11.00-21.00, Sun 11.00-18.00).
Slow Wood will also be at the Hands on Design event: craftsmanship and design.
• Thu. 10 April 18.00: Opening
Location: La Fabbrica del Vapore (Spazio Polifemo), Via Procaccini, 4 – 20154 (Tue-Sat 10.00-22.00,
Sunday 11.00-18.00).
Slow Wood Eidos (*): discover Slow Wood’s cutting-edge products in a compact space located
opposite Milan’s State University packed with ideas and experiments marrying the traditional with the
futuristic.
Location: Largo Richini, 14 – 20122 Milano (Tue-Sat 11.00-21.00, Sunday 11.00-18.00)
(*) Eidos, which derives from the Greek εiδος, meaning “form, aspect,” is a philosophical term used by Plato to designate the
concept of the idea, and by Aristotle to designate form, which was subsequently adopted by Husserl to indicate “essences”
apprehended through intuition.
Designers: Andrea Anselmini, Barbra Arciuolo, Tomoko Azumi, Silvano Azzano, Sabrina Carella,
Cristina Ciarnelli, Shinobu Ito, Kazuyo Komoda, Kuniko Maeda, Sergio Magnano, Chiara Marchetti,
Emilio Nanni, Studio Pagani&Perversi, Luca Pegolo, Astrid Pizzo, Amerigo Rossitti, Stefano Sassi,
Shiina+Nardi Design, Leda Urbanucci, Cristian Visentin, Samuele Zanardo.
Artisans: B&D Living, CeccottiCollezioni, Andrea Costantino, Francesco Crippa, Falegnameria 4A,
Falegnameria Di Bernardo, Falegnameria Evoluzione, Falegnameria Rossitti, Feenbo, Fibra&Forma,
Lorenzo Franceschinis, Full Metal, Hautematerial, Simone Lodo, Natura&Design, Stefano Quadro,
Mauro Sarti, Nicola Tessari, Giordano Viganò, Xiloidea.
Contact Slow Wood:
Marco Parolini, Cofounder and CEO
web: www.slowwood.net
mail: marco.parolini@slowwood.net
ph: +39 328 5807025
Press Contact:
Francesca Acerboni
mail: francesca.acerboni@gmail.com
ph: +39 349 5265449

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