A widespread cultural event dedicated to the themes of the LGBTQIA+ universe, conceived and entirely produced by Serravalle Designer Outlet. It is ‘The district of joy’, scheduled in Milan from 24 to 30 June, during Pride Week, part of the program promoted by the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Milan ‘Milano è Viva’ and included in the program of initiatives of Milan Pride. Some of the most important cultural entities in the Porta Romana area took part in the creation of the series of free events, such as Santeria Milano, Arci Bellezza, Civica Scuola di Teatro Paolo Grassi, MaMu – Magazzino Musica, Libreria Egea, and the support of the University Mouthfuls.
With ‘The district of joy’, Serravalle Designer Outlet strengthens the connection with the city of Milan, in the wake of the initiatives promoted in the two-year period 2022-23. The Ravizza Park area has a leading role in the innovative strategy designed to have a concrete and positive impact on the territory, on which interventions have been carried out to strengthen its centrality in terms of liveability, safety and sociability for the citizens of Milan.
In continuity with the experiences gained, Serravalle Designer Outlet wanted to build and support a project that would fit into the neighborhood and Pride Week with the aim of making it an important cultural and artistic hub in the Milanese panorama, as explained by the general manager Matteo Migani : “Serravalle Designer Outlet and the McArthurGlen Group have decided to have a positive impact within the communities in which they operate and, for this reason, we wanted to address social issues that we consider urgent and important, such as inclusion and diversity . This is why we organized a cultural event this year entitled ‘The District of Joy’, which aims to promote the values of kindness, inclusion and freedom”.
Milan is a particularly central place for Serravalle Designer Outlet: “Milan represents a very important community for us – adds Migani – With Milan we share the passion for fashion and, moreover, it is also a launch platform for numerous customers who make us visit. The Lombard capital also represents the most important tourist hub in Northern Italy and Serravalle Designer Outlet has a very strong tourist vocation, hosting people of more than 200 nationalities every year, tracked by tax free. This year too, the numbers are confirmed to be growing and very positive, with an increase in turnover of around 7%, mainly driven by tourism, which sees tax free prices rise by 20% compared to last year”. To open the week of activities, the photographic exhibition ‘Queer è Ora’ curated by the photographer Alessia Rollo: “Queer è ora is a project that was developed last year around the Cad, the anti-discrimination centres, and tells the stories of people who are discriminated against due to their gender.”
‘Queer è Ora’ is configured as a photographic project of artistic and social research and was born with the intention of telling the stories and experiences of people belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, as the artist says: “The photographic exhibition addresses fifteen stories, both of operators who work within the Cad but also of people. This is the case of Stefania and Luka, a mother and son who have undertaken the transition. In this photographic story we talk about love, difficulties and problems but also about everything that is possible thanks to the support and promotion of ideals such as integration, support and love. All people, regardless of sexual orientation, have the right to live a peaceful and protected life.” To promote this protection, according to the photographer and curator of the exhibition, “listening is fundamental. With this project I was able to listen to these stories which allowed me to better understand their nature. This event shows that collaboration between public and private and between artists and civil society can help create a space for new stories and help solve some problems that I believe need to be addressed at this moment” concludes Rollo.
The exhibition is on display in the open air spaces of the Bocconi campus park throughout the week. McArthurGlen has always aimed to make a difference, leaving its mark, in Italy and abroad. Recently, the Group launched Evolve, a social responsibility and sustainability platform made up of different areas of intervention and projects to be implemented through an ambitious strategy that aims to drive real change. Among these objectives, the Group seeks to support communities and people by playing an active role on very current and highly urgent social issues, such as those of inclusion, health protection or urban redevelopment.
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