EDIT Naples returns for the sixth edition, with exhibitions and exhibitors

This October, for the sixth consecutive year, EDIT Napoli will be held, the fair dedicated to editorial design and authorial design. Every year, the heart of the event will feature works by independent designers, authors, and publishers of design, creatives, and producers who will showcase their creations in a Naples that is now recognized as a reference point and hub for international scouting. EDIT Napoli's mission continues to highlight sustainable design, emphasizing the connection to the territory and the quality of the works, prioritizing excellence over quantity. The goal is to support production processes that combine craftsmanship and design into reproducible pieces, with more than 100 Italian and international exhibitors. This year again, EDIT Napoli offers support to young exhibitors under 30 and entities established less than three years ago, who will have a dedicated exhibition space in the cloister of the Seminary. There will also be a significant Spanish presence, thanks to the España Diseño Mediterráneo project, carried out in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes in Naples and designer Tomás Alía, who selected five young talents to participate. As per tradition, the main location of the event will become a point of reference and meeting place for the community associated with the event, promoting exchanges, collaborations, and new ideas that continue to emerge year after year. Domitilla Dardi—co-founder of the project—talked about the present, past, and future of EDIT Napoli.

Let’s start from the origins, how did the EDIT Napoli project come about?

It actually started from our meeting, that is, from the meeting between me and Emilia (Emilia Petrucelli, co-founder). Emilia is from Campania, but she has lived in Rome for many years, and after training in engineering and consulting, she opened a design store. For about 15 years, maybe even longer, she has been offering a design that is historically editorial. Previously, a tailor would take your measurements and could remake the dress in all possible colors and fabrics. Similarly, editorial design creates unique pieces that can be customized in different ways, but above all, since they are born from a handcrafted hand, the pieces will never be identical to each other. This editorial dimension is found at the intersection between industrial design and art design. So, by blending her buyer's eye with my background as an art historian and curator, we thought: why not create a fair dedicated solely to this?

Over time, EDIT Napoli has become quite the cultural incubator.

Absolutely, we especially want to make the public understand that market and culture go hand in hand because otherwise, neither can survive. For this reason, we created the CULT program, where, even though we are at a fair, it's possible to find a large program of exhibitions totally detached from the purpose of trade. CULT is also a way to showcase larger entities that might feel constrained at the fair; renowned designers, major brands, and established researchers can still take advantage of this opportunity. Another great benefit is placing these exhibitions according to the proposed project, so not only being a cultural incubator but also a true positive reagent. In recent years, we have managed to open places in Naples that even some Neapolitans had never entered.

Although Milan is considered the design capital, you chose to create this project in Naples. Why?

Because Milan is certainly the capital, but of industrial design. We deal with a slightly different design and decided to invest in an 'untouched' territory, but not culturally untouched. Naples is the true Italian melting pot, as identified by Eduardo de Filippo in his film: poverty and nobility coexist without interruption. Additionally, we wanted an economically sustainable city. We care a lot about presenting very young designers at the fair, under 30s who are just starting, and we wanted to find a city that would welcome them without them having to make too many sacrifices. Then, during one of the first EDIT events, someone asked Emilia: 'Why Naples?' she proudly replied: 'Why not?'. There are no other Italian cities with the same open-mindedness.

This will be the sixth edition of EDIT Napoli, and you’ve mentioned that it feels like opening a new chapter. What have the last 5 years taught you?

First of all, when we embarked on this adventure, we didn’t expect the world to change so much in five years. We were the only fair in the sector in both 2020 and 2021, and in both cases, Italy closed a week before EDIT's closure. This taught us a lot because we learned what it means to be small: in nature, if you're small, you're agile, and we used that agility to our advantage. We don’t want to become big, because we believe in highly selective, targeted, thoughtful, curated, and planned events. However, surely now a period of greater awareness begins, and we have indeed become a reference point for those seeking that kind of design. For years we said that in Naples they looked at us confused, while now they know and recognize us.

One last question. We talked about the present and the past. What are your wishes for the future of EDIT Napoli?

Luckily, Naples is such a proactive and full of potential city that we still have many places to explore, waiting for the right projects. I can assure you we have a list of places we want to reach with EDIT. I think, from that point of view, Naples will never tire us. For years one of our desires was to stage a scene at the Teatro San Carlo, with which we have a wonderful relationship, but we never found the right project. This year, luckily, a whole series of things aligned: we have one of the greatest architects in the world, Kengo Kuma, and a major company that believed in this project, Alcantara, and finally the dream of creating the sets for Simon Boccanegra at the San Carlo comes true. It's a great honor, but we couldn’t have done it without the right conditions, so it was right to wait. We believe in slow design, in slow living. Slowly but surely, things are achieved. But you shouldn’t rush, otherwise you make a quick burst and then burn out.