If you thought Italy is just about the pizza or the beautiful sun, you are certainly mistaken. It is definitely much more than that. There is, for instance, an entire gamut of cultural and lifestyle riches that Italy is now preparing to share with India.
Italian fashion, food, jewellery as well as infrastructure, consumer goods, textiles, and chemicals, all fall under the range of products and services which the Italian foreign office is going to now promote in India. This is being done to increase the trade practices and strengthen the bond between the two countries.
Italy has shown considerable trust in the economy of India. It has called India the “fundamental market” to invest in. There is a constant increase of Italy’s export to India in many products. Be it wood, furniture, luxury jewelery, ceramic glass, clothing, footwear or Italian Design, and Indians are quite interested in all things Italian. The beauty and finesse of Italian products are out of this world and they are much appreciated throughout the Indian market. Still, there is a lot of market space for Italian products in India, especially in the big metros.
The Italian Trade Commissioner Dr. Francesco Pensabene, speaking at a recently-held event in Delhi, unveiled the first ever Italian campaign in India, “Italy: The Extraordinary Commonplace’’, which is actually the celebration of the best of things that are made in Italy. The sectors the campaign focuses on are design, fashion, food, food processing, infrastructure, smart cities, luxury, and furniture. As part of this two-year campaign, a series of focused events and activities in each sector will be held across the country to promote Italian lifestyle products and businesses in India. The event aims to create awareness of fine Italian products, promote Italian companies, with a view to exploring new business avenues for Italian companies that would like to enter the Indian market. As of now almost 400 Italian companies are working in India.
Through this campaign Italy wants to also stress the fact that there is no dearth of Italian products in India. Speaking on the occasion of the campaign launch, Dr. Pensabene said, “We believe in India. India is truly a stable market. Hence why not discover new products, new dishes among other things. The idea is to be stronger together. We would like to promote the chain of cooperation in the sectors of food, fashion and much more. We are looking forward to long-term mutual cooperation. When I talk about food it is not just spaghetti or pizza, I speak about the entire culture that comes behind the preparation of food.” Similarly, India is a a land of diverity, where traditions and cultures differ widely from region to region.
A two-day event, entitled “La Dolce Vita: a Celebration of Italian Fashion, Luxury and Lifestyle”, is being organised in association with DLF Emporio this weekend in Delhi.
Italy is also looking to gain a foothold in India in terms of establishing a cultural and commercial presence. The automobile giant Fiat entered India many years ago and has created a strong presence in the country since then. Taking the example of Fiat, other Italian firms now want to tap into the various sectors of the Indian market, which will be beneficial for both the countries. And this strong partnership, according to the organisers of this campaign, will continue for years to come.
Italy itself is on the fifth position in the European Union when it comes to trade with India. With regards to investment, Italy lies on the 13th position. One can easily say that the bilateral trade between India and Italy has registered an increase over the last many years. There are other parallels too. India and Italy are both ancient civilizations but young states (Italy having been reunified only in 1861). These two ancient civilizations have known, interacted and traded with each other for over 2,000 years. Modern day contacts between the two nations were formed through exchanges between the intellectuals from both sides.
To flag off the campaign, a two-day event entitled “La Dolce Vita: a Celebration of Italian Fashion, Luxury and Lifestyle” is being organised in association with DLF Emporio — the hub of luxury in the heart of the capital city on the 11th and 12th of March, 2016. Spread over an exciting weekend, the event will transform this shopping destination into a virtual Italian luxury hub with an Italian ambience, and will showcase the latest products and collections from some of the finest Italian brands present in the country.