K-Way celebrates 60 years of innovation with the international exhibition “In Y/Our Life”
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Sixty years of K-Way®: a global exhibition explores the poetic side of everyday life
EMBARGO 25/02/2025, 20H CET
A windbreaker turned into an icon – that is the story of K-Way®. Since 1965, millions of people around the world have braved the rain with this wardrobe essential, as practical as it is stylish. To celebrate 60 years of innovation and design, K-Way® presents the international exhibition “In Y/Our Life – The Hidden Side of Everyday Things”: a captivating journey through archives, art, and design that reveals the hidden beauty of everyday objects.
The exhibition will open on 25 February 2025 at the Museo della Permanente in Milan, during Milan Fashion Week, where K-Way® will also present its latest collection on the runway. From there, the exhibition will travel worldwide, with stops at prestigious art fairs such as Photo London (May), and Art Basel Paris (October).
A tribute to iconic brands
For the occasion, K-Way® has invited other iconic brands that are part of our daily lives. Each has created an emblematic product that has won worldwide recognition. Together, they pay tribute to the power of design and the poetry of simplicity.
- Bic® – The Bic® Cristal® pen, launched in 1950, has become a global symbol of simplicity and reliability.
- Bialetti® – The Moka Express coffee maker, invented in 1919, revolutionised coffee culture.
- Borotalco® – The Italian talcum powder with its distinctive fragrance, loved since 1904.
- Borsalino® – Refined felt hats, a symbol of Italian elegance since 1857.
- Chupa Chups® – The world-famous lollipops featuring a logo designed by Salvador Dalí.
- Moleskine® – The notebooks that have accompanied creative minds such as Van Gogh, Picasso, and Hemingway.
- Polaroid® – The pioneer of instant photography, a symbol of spontaneity and creativity.
- Post-it® – The iconic yellow sticky notes, indispensable in offices and homes since 1980.
- Rollerblade® – The revolutionary inline skates that transformed sport and leisure.
- Scotch™ – The everyday essential adhesive tape since 1930.
Art and design: a new perspective on daily life
In Y/Our Life will be divided into three distinct sections:
- Happy when it rains – Dedicated to 60 years of K-Way®, this section presents a fascinating journey through the brand’s archives, with original items and iconic pieces tracing decades of innovation and change. From the very first K-Way® raincoats to its most modern evolutions, sixty archival pieces illustrate the story of this iconic garment.
- Everyday Icons – An exploration of the partner brands’ archives, showcasing prototypes, advertising, historical objects, videos, and tangible evidence of creativity and innovation.
- In Y/Our Life – The beating heart of the project: through artworks, installations, inventions, and stories inspired by the values and DNA of these iconic brands, thirteen international artists explore the hidden side of everyday life, offering unique and visionary reinterpretations of symbolic objects.
Renowned artists
The exhibition will also feature several influential artists, including:
- Emiliano Ponzi (1978) – The world-renowned illustrator presents a writer typing in the rain, protected by a K-Way® windbreaker. A powerful visual narrative linking the natural elements to digital communication.
- Francesca Casale (1990) – This olfactory artist fuses the iconic K-Way® pocket with the aroma of coffee, inspired by Bialetti®’s Moka Express. A truly unique sensory experience.
- Patricia Urquiola (1961) – The Spanish designer creates “Tree of Gifts”, an installation where “Artist Gifts” inspired by the exhibited works hang like fruit, ready for visitors to take home as a keepsake.
- Serafin Gerber (1998) – The Swiss photographer captures everyday life with a dreamlike touch through a series of Polaroid® cameras, producing magical images from Europe, the United States, and Brazil.
(For a full list of artists and details of partner brands, click here.
About K-Way®
K-Way® is a brand of K-Way S.p.A., part of the BasicNet Group, which also owns Kappa®, Robe di Kappa®, Jesus® Jeans, Superga®, Sabelt®, Briko®, and Sebago® – benchmark brands in apparel, footwear, and accessories for sport and lifestyle.
BasicNet operates worldwide through a network of entrepreneurs who, under license, produce and distribute the group’s products. The company supports its partners with research and development, product industrialisation, and global marketing services. All business processes are fully digitised, making BasicNet a company entirely integrated with the web.
The BasicNet headquarters are located in Turin, Italy, and the company has been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 1999.
CATHERINE VAN ERCK
