“Our goal is a strong, united, inclusive, sustainable and creative Salone del Mobile”
With the “supersalone 2021” taking place at the beginning of September (05 to 10), Maria Porro was just announced as the new president of Salone del Mobile. The professional, who until then was head of Assarredo – Italian Commercial Association of Furniture Manufacturers, was elected by the Federlegno Arredo Eventi iBoard of Directors, being the first woman to ever be nominated for the position in history.
Maria Porro takes over the Salone at a time of change, weeks before the first physical edition of the event since 2019, due to the global pandemic. “I grew up with Salone del Mobile. When I was a child, my grandfather Carlo [founder of the Porro brand] used to take me to the pavilions at the old place. I watched when the fair moved to its new location in Rho, and I was thrilled to be able to participate in the Shanghai, China’s edition”, recalls the new president. “Today, I feel honored to take on this role at such a vital and transformative time. I would like to thank everyone who supported me. I hope to prove myself worthy of this event and its fabulous and successful heritage.”
She continues: “We will work to ensure that, as a showcase for design, Salone is reborn to face the challenges of the future in terms of sustainability, digitization, research, innovation, creativity and inclusion”, adds Maria.
In an official statement, Federlegno Arredo Eventi, the commercial entity that owns the Salone del Mobile brand, stated that the event as a whole intends to devise new strategies to respond to the main issues of the present time, with the choice for Maria Porro’s being part of this larger plan. “The decision to invest in a young and motivated president is part of a strategy to consolidate the event’s international prominence in a period of profound transformations.”
Brazilian furniture in the supersalone
Following and supporting this very important moment for the furniture sector, the industry and the world economy, the Brazilian furniture will be present in the Pavilion #03 at the Rho Fiera Milano, one of the most visited spaces at the fair, with the participation of 110 Brazilian companies associated with the Brazilian Furniture Project, organized by ABIMÓVEL – The Brazilian Furniture Manufacturers Association and Apex-Brasil – The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency.
The project’s program in Milan also has an exclusive event at Fuorisalone, celebrating 30 years of the circuit at the INTERNI exhibition inside the Università Degli Studi di Milano. The exhibition “Brasil – Design in Movement” will feature 15 Brazilian brands and designers under the curatorship of the architect and designer José Roberto Moreira do Valle and organized by Apex-Brasil, in collaboration with ABIMÓVEL.