Two Italian icons have come together to produce the Fiat 500 Design Collection. Smeg and Fiat merge form and function to breathe new life into the classic Italian car because, as the companies say “a refrigerator is not just an electrical appliance and a bonnet is not just a car part”.
These two companies have a long history together which began in the 1950s when Fiat, with the collaboration of Smeg, manufactured refrigeration. Smeg CEO Vittorio Bertazzoni says, “For me, crating the Smeg500 was, above all, a matter of personal honour. I strongly believed in this project as it pays tribute to the memory of my grandfather: when he founded Smeg, one of his first collaborations was creating refrigerators with Fiat”.
The refrigerator was designed with a view to create a product that fulfills the need for function but with a new guise, and to re-invent an existing product as something new. Smeg describes the refrigerator as “a crossbreed of concepts” and I think this is particularly apt because these fridges will appeal to a wide variety of connoisseurs who want that something different, an item that truly encompasses a “wow” factor.
The Smeg500 was previewed in Paris last year during an event at Colette, the famous concept store on Rue Santi-Honore and members of the KBDi International Designers Tour this year were able to see it on display at the Smeg head office and showroom in Guastalla, Italy.
At this stage, unfortunately, the product is not available in Australia but for more information visit www.smeg.it
