It all begins with the i-Mesh thread, a product representing ‘soft architectures,’ used to weave patterns that then form panels. «Pattern is our obsession; it’s one of the tools we use to create softness», explains Alberto Fiorenzi. With three decades in the yachting world, his career has spanned software, machine tools, design objects, sailboats, textiles, and materials engineered for functionality and marine durability – the very foundation from which i-Mesh originated.
Waves as a phenomenom, design Yuko Nagayama – Photo © Matteo Natalucci
Launched in 2014, and notably chosen by MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects for the external envelope of the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025, Osaka, i-Mesh was originally designed for sun protection, but it has since evolved into much more. This high-tech thread comes in six variants: three inorganic – Basalt, Silicon, and a blend of the two – and three organic: Carbon, Technora, and Zylon.
Cascata / Griglia Morbida, design Tomo Ara – Photo © Matteo Natalucci
Shades. BG, design Migliore + Servetto – Photo © Matteo Natalucci
Innovative, sustainable, and visually striking, this material generates textures that inspire creative paths and unleash imagination. «This material harmonizes with its surroundings; it doesn’t impose itself. It’s a lightweight material that is inherently soft, with a very high level of customization. No inventory obsolescence, zero waste» the i-Mesh founder further explains.
Fuku-Ori, design Kengo Kuma – Photo © Matteo Natalucci
A natural narrative continuation of the panels, the new tapestries by Yuko Nagayama, Kengo Kuma, Tomo Ara, and Migliore + Servetto were presented at Expo and join the Contemporary Tapestry Collection, which debuted in 2018 under the curatorship of Cristiano Toraldo di Francia. Fiorenzi credits him with “intuiting and recognizing the project’s significance and contemporary relevance,” echoing the very concepts he theorized during his Superstudio days, when he envisioned infinite surfaces spanning from ground to sky.
