Some years back, the chill of the usual editorial office was broken regularly when a Ducati press release arrived. Warmed by our efforts to turn its convoluted English into, well, English and by the often-inadvertent humor of the imagery we would clap our hands, do a little dance and set about trying to create something publishable. Often, we would form teams to compete in this pointless but pleasing task.
This continued through several owners in Borgo Panigale, but then the steel-eyed PR people of Audi arrived and began issuing press releases in ever-so-slightly German-influenced English which was ready to print. You can imagine our disappointment and chilly fingers. Every now and then the original writers would pop up at another Italian firm like Bimota, but it wasn’t the same. Until now. Get ready, folks, to meet Vespa’s version of the Unintelligible Italian Press Release.
Is there a subtle hint here regarding horsepower? No? Photo: Vespa.
“Vespa – the empty space”, it begins. “Beyond time and space, a limitless exploration of new worlds and inspiring destinations. Freedom from the constraints of time and space. This is where the Vespa was born.” And I always thought it was born as a design by Corradino D’Ascanio, an aeronautical engineer who hated motorcycles, to use up the sheet steel left over from building bombers at Piaggio’s factory in Pontedera. Tch, there you go.
The facts, it seems, are that “This is where ‘The Empty Space’ originates, Vespa’s infinite space beyond the boundaries of time. A ‘non-place’, which embodies the timeless values of the brand which, since its foundation, have revolutionised the way we move and think. A space without maps – you draw your own map, for your discovery of new unexplored territories.” Sounds more like the kind of trouble some of my friends are reporting with their Garmin units.
“No plans. No maps. Just go. That freedom of movement that Vespa has celebrated every day on the roads around the world for almost 80 years.” Hmm, yes… tell me more.
“Beyond the horizon and the seasons, this space designed by Vespa generates its first new world: a Summer Edit tailor-made for exploration, outside of time and space. Through the barriers. A creative exploration of the human spirit.” Ah, hang about. Is this the introduction of a clothing line? No, not a line to hang out clothing – a selection of clobber? Like an upmarket Deus ex Machina?
Michele Colaninno, CEO of the Piaggio Group, has his own motivation. “Every day is a new journey,” he says. “This made me think of a continuous search for new destinations and new worlds. It is my desire to give a future to what we create.” I’m with you there, Michele. But how’s it going to work?
“I like to wish that we will continue to look each other in the eye and not isolate ourselves in total digital silence. It is important to be able to create emotions. Joy, memories, disappointments and successes: these are emotions that last over time and follow us wherever we go. Nowadays it is difficult, not impossible. I am sure that we will succeed because Vespa has always been the symbol of the re-start. From today, Vespa is more than what it was yesterday, creating new ideas.”
Now let’s see: two riders on one horse signifies the Knights Templar, right? So, err… Phgoto: Vespa.
And here it is – it does involve clothes. Not many press releases take quite this long to get to the point, but we are talking about an Italian company here.
“Exclusive interpretations,” promises Sig. Colaninno. “Classic garments with a distinctive character. The Italian savoir faire is palpable in the fabrics, in the continuous dialogue between hi-tech innovation and craftsmanship. Soft, nuanced tones suggest open landscapes and boundless plains, where the horizon opens up before us – to be discovered.” Gee, I dunno. That… outfit on the scooter looks a lot like a knitted cardigan.
It is nothing of the kind, of course. It is “A Summer Edit, a hymn to fearless self-expression, without limitations. Because only those who risk going too far can discover how far they can go. Many adventures, and many stories to tell in the images of Johnny Dufort, British master of ‘undone glamour’, artist of digital photos with a surrealist tone, raw and, at the same time, very human. Dufort signs a unique and unmistakable campaign: on horseback as on a Vespa, in nature as in the city, models interpret the Summer Edit garments in a spirit of absolute freedom.”
Could be worn on a scooter, could be, Squire. But why so annoyed? Photo: Vespa.
He’s the photographer, right? It is difficult sometimes to figure out who’s who. But here we go, Sig. Colaninno has linked the clothes to history. “A new style, exactly as Vespa has represented it since its first appearance. When, as soon as she was presented to the public, immediately after her birth, she was delivered to dealers on open-sided trucks, to show everyone that revolutionary line.
“A style that also manifests itself in one of the most congenial places for Vespa: the sea. This is how one of the most iconic beaches in Italy, evocative of luxury and class, welcomes the first Vespa By The Sea. With a creative take-over, Vespa dresses the beach of Paraggi bringing its timeless style and its desire for freedom, at the same time releasing all his joy of living. This is the second expression of Vespa, aimed at filling another ‘empty space’ in this ever-expanding cosmos of new experiences.
Wait, wait. Is this an announcement of a celebration of some kind? Is it annual? Is it by a real sea, or a conceptual one? Am I going to be invited? Tell us more!
“The final destination of this ‘empty space’? Not a defined place, but a new way of being. To see the world. Because the world of Vespa is made up of continuous discovery, evolving. Of the challenge of experiencing a special freedom. Even with clothes. Even on a terrace facing the sea.” Right, okay, yes. See theemptyspace.vespa.com for more. Of whatever this is about.
