‘ethnic - signs of the world’

name and surname: Francesca Berti course: Surface & Textile Design · master course · postgraduate programme school: Milano School of Design country: Italy   Francesca Berti was born in Milano in 1987. Her great interest in creating innovative furniture for everyday life, led her to the School of Design of Istituto Marangoni Milano to attend the Interior Design course. After that, thanks to a scholarship won as Student of the Year in 2014, she decided to deepen her knowledge of graphics and design attending a Master’s programme in Surface and Textile Design, once again with Istituto Marangoni Milano. In her curricular project ‘Ethnic - Signs of the world’, Francesca Berti explores the world of textiles to create a coherent proposal of patterns for surfaces or for upholstery fabrics for both interior environments or fashion collections. The concept started from the ethnic ‘signs’ of the Countries she has drawn inspiration from: India, Japan, Africa. With ‘Ethnic - Signs of the world’, Francesca proposes a series of patterns that have nothing to do with her own world. Perfect lines and symmetries inspired by India’s architecture and Mandalas: winding, sharp, and concentric patterns express and highlight the concept of reconciliation with the  cosmos. The Japanese sign, instead, derived from the Country’s textiles tradition, more than spirituality: the coarseness of craft decorations, is a perfect rendering of the sense of “wabi-sabi”, that is, “the imperfection of beauty”. Finally, African signs recall the face painting of some indigenous peoples, with a primitive and rough touch that symbolized the return to our origins. Through the symbiosis of this original mix of elements, Francesca gives the nod also to tradition, although not explicitly Italian. This is precisely the added value which, combined with valuable technical solutions and materials, makes her upholstery fabrics a genuine Made in Italy project.