Momentum is Building for the New Renaissance

May 22, 2013 - PRLog -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA  — Zanoby, the retailer of artisan goods from craft makers and manufacturers, announced today its partnership with the Florence University of the Arts (FUA) and, separately, its appointment of Christopher Losa as Chief Experience Officer. These announcements are an evolution for Zanoby as they continue to build momentum for what they coin The New Renaissance – which aims to create a healthy manufacturing ecosystem where makers of superior quality products have a high-quality of life, engage in high-quality work, and deliver great products that are made in a manner that is socially and environmentally sustainable.

The partnership with FUA enables Zanoby to leverage the University’s curriculum, affiliations, and respected position in the creative community to inform its maker identification and selection process.  Says Zanoby CEO, Roberto Scaccia, “FUA’s key mission is to promote and renew creative disciplines. Zanoby exists to promote makers of superior-quality goods and renew their standing as the engines of local economies encouragers of social change and influencers of cultural advancement. Our mission and FUA’s mission will work hand-in-hand to promote makers and the processes they use.”  Gabriella Ganugi, President and Founder of FUA, adds, “Zanoby’s fresh perspective on innovation and focus on the notion of quality are what excite us the most about this partnership. Our mission is to foster education through cultural integration.  This education mission is strongly reflected in Zanoby's emphasis on the importance of community and local culture."

Partnerships with respected institutions like FUA indicate the energy and excitement that Zanoby has created in maker communities and organizations across Europe, in Japan, and in the United States. With the appointment of Christopher Losa as Chief Experience Office, Zanoby puts additional drive behind reaching consumers.

Losa is lifelong entrepreneur who has also consulted for Fortune 1000 manufacturing and consumer product companies.  Most recently, he was the creator and operator of an award-winning San Francisco fine dining restaurant. “Christopher’s diverse background in retail, supply chain, branding, and customer service fits perfectly with our goal to connect with consumers, both online and offline, in a meaningful way,” says Scaccia. Losa adds, “I have a passion for customer experiences that engage, comfort and inform.  Zanoby’s commitment to the form and quality of what is made is an amazing opportunity to create experiences and environments that connect Zanoby’s values and our makers and their stories with consumers."

For more information on the New Renaissance, makers, locations and products, visit www.zanoby.com.

About Zanoby
Co-founded by Roberto Scaccia and Alexandre Delarue, Zanoby was created to revive skills-based manufacturing for fashion, beauty and home goods, creating a balance in the use of human hands and technology, not as a way to speed production or make more product, but as a way to heighten craftsmanship, restore community and enable the practice of sustainability. Through its integrated commerce approach, Zanoby is connecting global consumers to specialty goods made by local artisan manufacturers, selling small batches of superior merchandise at prices that compete favorably with global luxury brands.

About Florence University of the Arts
Florence University of the Arts (FUA) began as a higher learning institution for hospitality studies in 1997. Founded by Dr. Gabriella Ganugi, a Florentine architect and author with over 20 years of experience in international education, FUA has expanded into 9 academic divisions whose unique educational model features community engagement projects that are open to the public and foster experiential learning. The institution seeks to forge a new perception of the Renaissance capital of Florence, Italy, by inviting its faculty members and students to breach the facade of the past and to actively participate in contributing to a contemporary vision of the city's present and future.