Domenico Orefice created ‘Man de Milan’ that means in English “Hands of Milan”, a collection of furniture – presented in 2018 in the Salone Satellite during the Salone del Mobile – realized in collaboration with artisans from Milan and Lombardy, that explores materials, history and the icons that belong to the city’s identity. It is a storytelling of the visual archetypes, the materials and the skills that have shaped Milan. Citing, revitalizing and value-enhancing of the collective imagination, the ‘Man de Milan’ project aims to rediscover local processes, contaminating them with new technologies and new materials. The intent is to transfuse an ancient soul into contemporary objects, in an ideal tribute to the origins of the city and its artisanal and constructive wisdom, in search of an identity of today.‘Man de Milan’ is born in the furnace Curti of Milan, a historic site of the Lombardy scenery, where the history and the noble traditions of the Sforza family keep living. Today, the furnace that has relocated since its initial creation to the south of Milan, is occupied with artisans and artists that work side by side sculptors, to create a place that has stopped in time.From the traditional manipulation of clay in the furnace, a series of tiles, called Curti, characterized by a modular design with a rhombus shape, that when combined, create an image of a city, and Salvadanè, inspired by the historic model of a piggy-bank.The collaboration with the carpentry D3 Wood, that uses 0km-wood, local or reclaimed, gave birth to the bookshelf Mulino, inspired by the machinery designed by Leonardo Da Vinci. Ringhiera is a cabinet, inspired by the popular Lombard housings with an interior courtyard.The carpet Nebbia, in the pattern of which one can observe the change of the atmospheric element fog through the years.Zafferano, a table created from resin, coloured with saffron threads. Domenico Orefice graduates in Industrial Design in Politecnico di Milano in 2006 with an excellent grade. During and after the Bachelor program, he practices the street art and viral communication. From 2005 he collaborates with various studios, such as Diego Grandi. In 2009 he founds his own advisory studio and collaborates continuously with companies and multinationals as a designer and art director in the world of bathrooms, furniture and jewellery. In 2011 he wins his first award at Promosedia International Contest, prestigious in the world of furniture, then Young Blood Awards, awarded by the Ministry of Youth Policies and other recognitions. In 2012, the “Fabriano” waste paper bin was included in the “Instant Design” exhibition at the Triennale of Milan.
