Four Friends And A Plushy Winged Lion In Venice

The story of the first plushy winged lion inspired to the legend of Saint Mark and designed in Venice.

“My inventors, four friends, Venetian by origin and adoption, argued on the absence of products specifically designed to describe and represent the city of Venice, instead of the soulless junk you can find everywhere.

The four friends, let aside the fear of those who face a business for the first time and decided, carried by creativity, to reshape what for the collective imagination is the main symbol of the town: the lion of Saint Mark!

But which was the shape to give to the lion?! They decided to give a positive image and that, in its own way, it was an excuse to convey love and protection for the city … here is the idea of “embrace” Venice … hugging a fluffy winged lion!   My design is simple, the form looks a bit like rag dolls, my softness is the one of a plush.

 At this point, it was necessary to go to the sewing machine … the skilled hands of Mrs. Lucia, with the advice of the Ditale d’oro Association, created my first prototype, then the graphics of the group drew my official logo in Venetian red, of course!   

The next step was to find a specialist who achieved a suitable product to the market (the choice fell on a Paduan company, Italian but with some production in China) and find the outlets willing to believe in the idea.  

Now Marco is sold in Venice, in stores selected for their authenticity and uniqueness (Bragorà, Bottega Tramontin Gondole, Bambolandia…) and it was chosen by renowned hotels as Aman, the seven stars on the Grand canal, to be offred to their little guests. The desire of the four friends is that this little winged lion can be the beginning of a new idea of merchandising for the city of Venice, as is already the case in Berlin or in other European cities. The other ambition of the project is to show that in Venice, as it always has been in its history, still grow innovative ideas!”

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