Vero formalizes the opening of the first permanent store in the heart of Porta Venezia in Milan, in via Felice Casati 3. The founder Pasquale Apollonio and the creative direction Simona Flacco and Riccardo Crenna tell us about the brand's vision and values

Informality and transparency are the founding values of the young furniture brand True.

Spokesperson for a new era of Italian design and born from the recent (April 2022) intuition of Pasquale Apollonio, former head of the interior contractor Level Project, Vero makes its presence official in the city with the opening of the first store in via Felice Casati 3, in the heart of Porta Venezia in Milan.

A place that is preparing to become a point of reference for the community of emerging or established creatives and designers, both Italian and international, and where today the already existing collection in unprecedented colors and the new modular shelving system designed in collaboration with the multidisciplinary design collective NAVET, based in Stockholm and Milan.

The store, designed by the creative direction, welcomes you in a versatile environment, conceived to lend itself as an exhibition space and, again, as a center for cultural events and a platform for building collaborations and pop-ups.

On the occasion of the opening, we asked the creative direction and the owners what are the values and expectations of this young brand.

What is the value around which the VERO community revolves?

Riccardo Crenna and Simona Flacco: "I would say that there is no one value but rather a series of values, a manifesto of values.

We believe in an informal but professional approach that puts contemporary ideas at the centre with a pragmatic attitude that makes gestures and actions concrete in the name of timeless design.

Transparency and positivity as the leitmotif of a canonical path that must be distinguished not by the what but by the how focused on people and their homes, transforming them into contemporary spaces".

How does it differ from other design realities?

Riccardo Crenna and Simona Flacco: "Every reality has its own peculiarity and is unique in its own way, diversity is a value to be preserved: we cannot produce products that are adapted to and appeal to everyone, we must identify the our niche and become a humble and biunique reference that is inclusive in a path of sustainable growth and connected to people”.

How do you select emerging designers? Does it happen that you commission projects from them or do you accept their proposals?

Riccardo Crenna and Simona Flacco: “The designers are among the most important players in the Vero team, selecting them and understanding if they share the project and the company's path is a fundamental activity.

Let's start from the constant and daily research trying to intercept on a global level those who are more similar and share the values of true Vero.

The first drops were very stimulating because the chosen designers really believed in the 'unseen box' project, giving Vero a great boost of planning and authority.

Each Vero piece has a different soul precisely because it is an expression of the individual designer.

For us it is essential to respect the identity of every creative and allow iconic pieces to be born that are representative of the brand's values, but also and above all of the designers, because they themselves are the first members of the community and therefore bearers of ideas and values within the brand”.

Where and how does production take place? Does it happen in the same way for all the proposed pieces? Can you tell us about the origin of the project?

Pasquale Apollonio (founder) replies: "The idea of this start-up was born from the thirty years of experience gained in this sector, which allowed us to get in touch with the relevant Made in Italy producers .

The Vero project takes shape within Level Project, an interior contractor company, of which I am the founder, with a production site located in Galatina, in the heart of Salento.

Our expertise is the contract and we are already partners of major main-players in the naval and civil sector.

The result of the brand launch last April 2022 is the fruit of more than a year's work of the research and development area of Level Project and of the dream team coordinated by Riccardo Crenna and Simona Flacco.

The Vero project implements within the already consolidated structure of Level Project, the concepts of seriality and branding within an artisanal production.

Vero looks to the local as a bridge to reach an international future that allows to export the "simple" made in Italy design, maintaining a conscious production rooted in highly specialized local workshops.

The line-up of products proposed to date presents various types of innovative constructions for our context, designed by international designers and developed by a dedicated department within L.P.

Our cross-pollination between design disciplines, craftsmanship and collaborative practices with technicians and producers create stimuli for high-quality results".