Bulgari has proudly announced the opening of MANIFATTURA BVLGARI, its new jewellery manufacturing facility, at a press conference at the location yesterday.
Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of the Bulgari Group, presented the new development to the Italian and International Press. Also present for the occasion were Minister of Economic Development Carlo Calenda, President of the Regione Piemonte Sergio Chiamparino, Mayor of Valenza Gianluca Barbero, and Mauro Di Roberto, General Director of the Jewellery Division. Isabella Ferrari was presented as the ‘godmother’ of the new production facility.
Image: Sergio CHIAMPARINO. Romilda TAFURI. Gianluca BARBERO. Nicola BULGARI. Isabella FERRARI. Jean-Christophe BABIN. Carlo CALENDA. Antonio BELLONI. Maria Rita ROSSA. Bulgari Manufacture Opening. Valenza. Italy (Credit: David Atlan)
Mr. Babin commented on the speed of the project, 18 months since the foundation’s stone was first laid. Bulgari had strategically chosen Valenza, famous for its gold-smithing history and the Cascina dell’Orefice since 1817. With the inestimable value of Bulgari pieces being made in Italy, the jeweller has invested in its home country to produce creative, exquisite luxury pieces.
Image: a selection of the exquisite Bulgari jewellery pieces (Getty Images)
Following Mr. Babin, the Minister of Economic Development Carlo Calenda spoke on the vitality of Italian jewellery abroad and reaffirmed the importance of investing in Italian innovation and research. Bulgari has been a figurehead in the international market, its fortitude strengthening the image of Italian products abroad.
Sergio Chiamparino, President of Regione Piemonte, then spoke about trainings in the Valenza area. And the Major of Valenza, Gianluca Barbero, lauded Manifattura Bulgari’s design, as it is built to bolster local, smaller manufacturers, both architecturally and financially.
Nicolò Rapone, the Operating Director of Bulgari’s Jewellery Business Unit, discussed the ambitious Bulgari Academy project. It trains younger craftsmen, an investment in the future that stems from Bulgari’s rich artisanal heritage of the past. The Bulgari Manifattura has been designed to integrate innovative technologies and materials with a low environmental impact, and sustainability LEED international certification (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design); is expected to be made official by the end of 2017. LEED is the world’s most widely-used ratings system for energy and environmental sustainability, as it sets requirements for sustainable buildings, both from an energy point of view and in terms of overall use of environmental resources during construction.
Image: Isabella FERRARI. Bulgari Manufacture Opening. Valenza. Italy (Credit: David Atlan)
Jean-Christophe Babin concluded the press conference by thanking the numerous press representatives present as well as Isabella Ferrari, calling her the godmother to Bulgari’s new home in Valenza, and Nicola Bulgari greeted the guests evoking the founder of the Maison Sotirio Bulgari that would have been proud to see how Bulgari is projected into the future preserving its historical roots.
