The Made In Italy concept has come to the internet's biggest reseller, Amazon, in a very special artisan marketplace that has launched earlier this week in Amazon.it, with the UK And US sites soon to follow. Soon hundreds of millions of people all over the world will have access to these artisan-made goods, that undergo a rigorous application process to appear in this section of the site.
Amazon has signed a deal with the city of Florence to promote local craftsman, at the press launch Francois Saugier, Direttore EU Marketplace di Amazon commented "Today we are happy to present the shop devoted to Italian-made crafts. Made in Italy it is among the most popular and sought out brands in the world, and this new store will delight even our international customers.Through the Amazon Marketplace, Italian artisans will have the opportunity to present and sell their products outside of their region. During the last 12 months, the number of Italian companies that exported their products with Amazon grew by more than 90% and these, via Amazon.it course, have revenues of more than 133 million euro only from exports."
The shop already has over 5,000 products for sale, including information on the techniques used and the local artisans themselves, often with videos - product customization is possible. The hope is that by opening up this small world of high-quality craftsmanship, they can help boost the local economy and showcase to the world some of the most interesting, and intricate products from Florence, the pioneer in this project, and beyond. "We are proud to be the first to present the typical products of our artisan culture to the wide customer base of Amazon," said Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence. "For Tuscan craftsmen, this shop is a well-deserved opportunity to reach a wider audience, and allow them to grow their business.
One such example is the Paolo Penko Bottega Orafa - Goldsmith Workshop by Paolo, maestro Goldsmith, designer and sculptor, whose passion for Renaissiance art and culture has inspired many of his intricate pieces. His use of ancient Florentine techniques, including “cesoro” (of Etruscan origin) have made him a very sought after goldsmith, with customers including Madonna and Paris Hilton, and most recently the Pope.
Paolo and son Alessandro at their bottega in Florence, Italy.
Items including jewelry, china, wood, satorial clothing and leather can be currently found on the Amazon.it shop.
For more Italy-items check out our shop where all sorts of interesting items, including pasta-drying racks, the original Moka coffee maker and much more.
