ABOUT STUDIO XYZ
NUOVA ITALIA
A MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE
The world loves Italy for its
historic grandeur, its impec-
cable sense of style and beauty, its
incredible food culture. Italians
know how to enjoy la Dolce Vita. And
it’s true, deeply engrained in Italian culture,
there is even a word for it: sprezzatura — mak-
ing the difficulty of mastering life seem easy.
But what’s also true:
The world loves Italy for its clichés.
Clichés that leave too much unsaid, that turn a country
rich in cultural achievements into a museum, that seems
to tend its own history instead of setting out to
shape the future – like it used to.
It does not tell the whole story of a country
with a rich cultural history. From Cara-
vaggio to the Futurists, from Michelan-
gelo Antonioni, Pier Paolo Paso-
lini, Umberto Eco, Miuccia
Prada to Maurizio Cattelan
— Italian art and creativity has
always been disruptive, eye
opening. Shaping how we live and
feel, how the world thinks.
‘We miss this daring side of Italy.
And we are not the only ones. All the
old gods, the churches, and palaces, all the
history – their weight has become heavy
in a dynamic and globalized world and on
the back of a young generation, who wishes
nothing more than to disrupt traditions in-
stead of submitting to them. To them, Italy has
become too small.
This young generation is looking beyond the Italian
borders. Seeking global inspiration to shape the world
in their image. Demanding freedom, justice and new ethics.
And we feel the effects already:
‘What we perceive as beautiful
has changed. It has become closer
to reality, it is more diverse, radical
and ambitious in finding new aesthetics,
whose influence already reaches beyond age,
changing the fashion industry. New ways of
living, new desires have evolved. The relationship
between men and women is being redefined.
Gender fluidity has opened up a new sexuality,
new role models and new forms of expression.
They look deeper than the surface.
Desirable is what is engrained with culture, meaning,
the intention to change the world for the better.
With ethics, ambition and new looks – circulating
and evolving in the global digital sphere to then transform our IRL.
There are new voices in Italy that de-
serve to be heard, new pop stars to
be listened to, new labels to be
worn, hew actors and actress-
es to be seen. From Mahmood,
to Off-White, from Alice Pagani
to Maneskin. Game changers, who
follow the Italian tradition of disrup-
tive creativity. Producing art that has
changed and modernized how we see
the world.
What is missing is a voice for this genera-
tion, putting Italy back on the map of cultural
relevancy.
We built STXDYOZ to become this voice: A mag-
azine, digital channels and a cultural institution
that gives Italian culture the place it deserves in this
decade and beyond.
XYZ’s goal is to open eyes, to make us look at Italy in a new,
refreshing way, and to shape the future for the better.