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Created in Italy

An exhibition featuring the landscape of Italian industry within the framework of Cultural and Economic Promotion and Innovation

Abet Laminati — Super-surfaces ALPI — The reinvention of wood Brembo — From 300km/h to 0 in 3.79 seconds Coex — Naturally fireproof Crea Concrete Design — Mono-material landscapes Cressi Sub — First underwater Dainese — Lifesaving design Directa Plus — Cleaning the sea with graphene Eumakers — 3D multi-color Falci — The farmers’ multinational Fizik — 3D-printed biomechanical saddles Fontana — Technological supercar trimming Foscarini — Fishing for lamps GAM — Montessori materials Gemar — U.F.O. Unpolluting Flying Objects Grivel — High Altitude Safety K-Array — New shapes of sound Kong — Inventing the carabiner Landucci — Infinite pasta shapes Limonta — Sustainable textile Magis — Enzymatic industrial management Nonino — High craftsmanship spirit Novamont — Designed to rebirth Omnicos Group — Make-up makers Pedrali — Engineered wood Petroceramics — Superpowers of materials Plastitalia — Admirable underground fittings Springa — Autonomous robotic Tecno Tessile Adler — Safety Cell Terre Davis — Ground Hero Vibram — Down side up
Created in Italy

31 — Vibram

Down side up

Albizzate, Lombardia

https://eu.vibram.com/

The company was founded in 1939 by the mountaineer Vitale Bramante. After a climbing accident, he set about inventing a more reliable boot sole that would guarantee outstanding traction. He named it “Carrarmato” (tank). His intuition was to adopt rubber, an innovative material at the time, as a marked improvement on the traditional hobnailed leather soles of the mountain boots used previously. Vibram today is the internationally acclaimed model for the production of rubber lug soles, by now an essential feature of globally renowned footwear like Merrel, Visvim, ROA and Woolrich. In its more recent history, Vibram reversed the concept of a previously hidden component and turned it instead into an eye-catching part of the shoe, as in the rubber exoskeleton on the multi-award winning Vibram Furoshiki or on the Vibram FiveFingers.

N-OIL is a rubber compound constructed from more than 90% natural ingredients while maintaining the trademark Vibram standard of quality, grip and performance.

↑ N-OIL is a rubber compound constructed from more than 90% natural ingredients while maintaining the trademark Vibram standard of quality, grip and performance.

"Life can be hard to understand. Just think, there was a time when I wanted to be a mountain porter. In those days every climb was an arduous undertaking. There were no proper means or organisation. We used to put hobnails on our boots, and climbers wore mountain boots on rocks. I was the first to get the idea of a rubber sole, or ‘tank’, without nails. At the time, I remember, I delivered an order to the Aosta battalion. And now every NATO member uses my soles".

100.000 salamini, Walter Tobagi interviews Vitale Bramani, in: I Giganti dell'Industria, 1967

Vibram LITEBASE drastically reduces the thickness and the weight of the rubber sole while maintaining performance.

↑ Vibram LITEBASE drastically reduces the thickness and the weight of the rubber sole while maintaining performance.

Vibram MEGAGRIP, an high performance rubber compound for extremely demanding activities.

↑ Vibram MEGAGRIP, an high performance rubber compound for extremely demanding activities.

Vibram FUROSHIKI, 2011. First wrapping sole, inspired by the Japanese culture of packing objects with cloth cuttings.

↑ Vibram FUROSHIKI, 2011. First wrapping sole, inspired by the Japanese culture of packing objects with cloth cuttings.

"The pieces of rubber are called ‘salamini’ (little salami). From each ‘salamino’ comes a sole. The procedure is extremely rapid and mechanised. For each processing phase we just press a button. The ‘amorphous’ rubber coagulates in the mould to acquire the desired form".

100.000 salamini, Walter Tobagi interviews Vitale Bramani, in: I Giganti dell'Industria, 1967

"About thirty years ago, rubber soles opened up huge possibilities to mountaineering. Vitale Bramani, owner of Vibram, is the man who sparked the “soles revolution” that earned him worldwide acclaim. Eighty thousand pairs of soles – equivalent to more than a hundred thousand salamini - leave the Albizzate factory every day".

100.000 salamini, Walter Tobagi interviews Vitale Bramani, in: I Giganti dell'Industria, 1967

Carrarmato, the first Vibram model patented by Vitale Bramani in 1937.

↑ Carrarmato, the first Vibram model patented by Vitale Bramani in 1937.

VIBRAM. High-performance soling systems. <br> Left, Vibram FiveFingers, 2004. “A sort of “foot glove” that fits the anatomical shape of the foot. Right, the Carrarmato, 1937. Photo Max Rommel

VIBRAM. High-performance soling systems.
Left, Vibram FiveFingers, 2004. “A sort of “foot glove” that fits the anatomical shape of the foot. Right, the Carrarmato, 1937. Photo Max Rommel