In the framework of the EU-funded projet Creative Mediterranean, a delegation from the Nablus Furniture Cluster (NFC – Creative Palestine) travelled to Italy last month for a technical and business mission aimed to provide relevant upgrades and international business exchanges in the fields of furniture design and production. The delegation included eight members of the NFC in addition to a representative from the Nablus Chamber of Commerce and Industry joined by the Cluster Development Agent for the Nablus Cluster and the Communication and Marketing Consultant of Creative Palestine.

​The mission included an organised visit to Salone del Mobile, the most reputed international furniture fair that takes places every year in the world capital for design, Milan, where NFC’s members have been exposed to new trends emerging from both the official showcase halls and the fair off (“Fuori Salone”) in the city centre of Milan. The trip also included a visit to the upholstery showrooms of the Durini District, where the most reputed brands of the history of Italian design have based their flagship stores, and a guided tour in the Tortona District lead by Giulio Vinaccia, Creative Mediterranean’s Expert Designer.

​The delegation conducted several business meetings with leading suppliers of Italian furniture production machines. The NCF’s members had the chance to visit the production lines and the demo areas and see how products are assembled, customised, and tested. Furthermore, a visit to a leading upholstery factory operating worldwide both as a supplier and a producer, Cierre Imbottiti, offered a glimpse into an up-to-date production line where modern equipment succeed to speed up production and assure the best quality and finishing.

​ The objective of the Creative Mediterranean project (Development of Clusters in Cultural and Creative Industries in the Southern Mediterranean), implemented in the framework of the Private sector Development in the Southern Mediterranean Programme, is to foster entrepreneurial co-operation in the cultural and creative industry notably through the promotion of promising pilot initiatives demonstrating contribution to inclusive growth. The project then aims at demonstrating the potential for the national and regional development of cultural and creative industries in the Southern Mediterranean, thus opening the possibility through adequate replication and larger scale support from financial institutions to promote new employment opportunities and inclusive growth in the region.

Read more

Press release

Nablus Furniture Cluster catalogue

Creative Mediterranean – website and Facebook page