Identitalia. The iconic Italian brands: notes on exhibition challenges

This essay explores the curatorial strategy, research methodology, and cultural implications of Identitalia. The Iconic Italian Brands, an exhibition that showcases over 100 iconic Italian companies as expressions of national identity. Through the lens of design and public history, the chapter examines how historical sources—archival materials, product evolutions, corporate narratives—can serve as tools for constructing a collective memory rooted in industrial and cultural heritage. Emphasis is placed on the importance of material culture in narrating a nation’s identity and on the role of exhibitions as mediating devices between past, present, and future. The research process combined digital ethnography and direct engagement with companies, revealing three typologies of archival culture—Ideal, Ambiguous, and Dormant—that shaped the curatorial approach. The chapter also discusses the main challenges encountered, such as disparities in corporate archival practices, restricted digital access, and the tension between historical transparency and brand self-perception. In response, the team adopted a flexible and inclusive strategy that turned constraints into narrative opportunities. The Identitalia exhibition becomes a case study for reflecting on how design exhibitions can foster recognition, promote historical awareness, and renew the discourse on national identity in the contemporary age.