MM award 2022: here are the winners of the Product Design category. MM award is the International creative award promoted by the creative consulting agency MM Company to honor and promote the most promising creatives and companies/studios/collectives in the fields of Fashion Design, Product Design and Interior Design.
gold prize – students
POMPEI SILVIO with the project “Ghirigoro”
The goal pursued is the exploration of the performance and expressive potential of cork, an amazing and highly sustainable material often limitedly processed in products by subtraction from the solid and without an enhancement of the aesthetic qualities offered by the wealth of species available, and by the different processes. The aim is to achieve the highest level of sustainability by going beyond the mere choice of materials and optimizing the entire life cycle through the simplification of processes. The chaise longue is therefore composed of a single sheet of cork curled and tightened by bolts. The monomateric object becomes so rigid and structural rather than flexible and ergonomic where necessary. The organic upholstery pattern enriches the product taking inspiration from Gustav Klimt’s portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer and is made with a patchwork of corks from the “CorkArt” catalog.
gold prize – professionals
ZOTTI ALBERTO with the project “LEM Stool”
This bespoke beech and blackened metal stool was developed upon returning from a period spent in Seattle. It was greatly influenced by the Pacific Northwest design and declined according to the North-Eastern Italian language. The legs’ structure is composed of four pairs of wooden supports that encounter each other in the center without touching the seat until the very end. The structure is reinforced with an inner element, a steel “biscuit” that helps redistribute tensions and prevents the legs from spreading. Bolts and screws keep all the elements together. A cold bluing solution has been used to confer the right finish to the metal and obtain a silky black shade. The design of the stool is an example of a wider research. All the elements that form the “LEM Stool” are isolated and recomposed, making their function clear. There are no hidden elements. By observing the “LEM Stool” from various angles, every piece is visible and recognizable.
gold prize – companies/studios/collectives
SLOOPARREDI with the project “Golfo”
“Golfo” is born from the desire to design a versatile, sustainable, and innovative furniture, but at the same time simple to assemble. “Golfo” contains the essence of the Made in Italy: from the study phase, through production and packaging, everything is Made in Italy. An essential design in which the attention to details and to sustainability combine together to give life to a furniture that reflects the personality of those who live it every day and respects the environment. The product, made of metal, 100% recyclable element, does not have a single welding point and only powder coating is used. In addition, every single element is a single piece, all this allows a lower emission of CO2 or other pollutants during processing and, therefore, a greater protection of the environment. Going against the trend, it looks like an innovative system by introducing metal slats, composed of a thin sheet, properly folded, which guarantees flexibility, comfort and resistance.
silver prize – students
POMPEI SILVIO with the project “Clutch”
Disposable containers are everywhere in today’s society. We use them to store food and soaps, keep our drinks cool, warm up our lunch. Today more than ever, we need to rethink the behavior of companies and consumers encouraging virtuous models in favor of a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. “Clutch” offers a new type of accessory that is compatible with the slow living movement and replaces disposable soap bottles. The product is indeed both a fancy walking bag for transporting and buying bulk shower gels and an elegant organizer to be hung directly in the shower for dispensing soaps. The bag is composed of three compartments which are three independent refillable bottles differentiated by shape, materiality, and texture. These containers are willing to contain in sequence the three soaps used in the ritual of the shower and then shampoo, shower gel and balm.
silver prize – professionals
CHIOCCHETTA MANUEL with the project “Fluida sideboard”
“Fluida sideboard” tries to express the concept of becoming, or the eternal change and evolution of reality over time, with sinuous and dynamic shapes. The gold-colored metallic paint enhances the movements and dynamism of the doors. It is a sideboard, whose design brings with it several innovative aspects, such as additive manufacturing, the possibility of recycling the material and the high potential for artistic expression guaranteed by the three-dimensional printing technology. The choice of using an FDM printing technology in PLA pellets, an ecological and recyclable material made from soy, responds to the need for manufactured products through a supply chain that is as eco-sustainable as possible, minimizing material waste. The added value to design through this approach is freedom of expression in shapes, forms, and materials, which are otherwise very difficult to achieve with traditional manufacturing techniques.
silver prize – companies/studios/collectives
Carrara Vittoria, Cosimo Francesca, Gargiulo Maria, Incoronato Liliana, Tufano Luigi with the project “In Slide Out”
The aim of “In Slide Out” is to create a personal area suitable for working and learning activities, whether they are carried out at home or in the office. The structure, characterized by an extensible and versatile system, is composed of four elements that, by sliding between them, allow to extend the work area, characterized by support, storage, and seating surfaces. Sliding allows the system to be retracted to occupy a limited space. People can therefore use the object both extended and closed, taking advantage in both configurations of the predominant geometries. The recurring motifs of the project are the sliding of planar elements and modular joints. The color palette chosen for the project aims at bright and contrasting colors to allow a recognizability of the object within an environment.
bronze prize – students
BUZZATTI SARA with the project “Round chair”
The geometric elements combined with the use of curved lines create “Round chair”, an elegant and refined chair, ideal for luxurious contract spaces. Attention to detail, it is comfortable and enveloping thanks to the padding throughout the structure and the use of two oval brass feet give “Round chair” a contemporary and sophisticated image.
bronze prize – professionals
LAFRONZA DAVIDE with the project “Metro – Milano”
Deconstructed and capable of expressing lightness in its complexity, “Metro – Milano” can be observed from all its angles. The point of view also changes its appearance in some way, leaving the observer almost disoriented, as when reading a map upside down. The chandelier is a clear reference to the fantastic engineering and design work that crosses the underground streets of the city, an unstoppable machine that this year welcomes the new M4 line.
