by Phumla Mkize
Students were treated to a masterclass in creative and business skills when Italy’s architect, sculptor and product designer Matteo Cibic gave a talk at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) as part of Italian Design Day 2025 festivities.
Renowned Italian designer Matteo Cibic gives a talk as part of the 2025 Italian Design Day celebrations at TUT's Pretoria Campus.
The convivial Cibic, who has worked with big brands such as Timberland and Starbucks, took students on a whirlwind of a memoir at the event held at TUT’s Department of Architecture and Industrial Design on 24 February. Cibic’s visual presentation showcased his life and work, reflecting childhood dreams, an unrelenting curiosity and an insatiable drive to push creative boundaries.
Cibic confessed that as a child, he dreamt of being a pope. It is a far cry from the work he does as a ceramicist, sculptor and product designer, however, his work does inspire awe.
He has made a name for himself with designs that fuse the real and the imagined. Everyday objects such as vases take on a life of their own with human-like expressions and emotions. Animal characters exhibit human frailties. Fun is draped in ultra-luxury.
It is this juxtaposition of the everyday and the sublime, the accessible and the unreachable that resonates with brands such as Timberland, which commissioned him to do an installation as part of Milan Fashion Week in 2017 to showcase its new flexible sole boat shoe.
He is a life-long student of his craft; Cibic shared that he has been working in ceramics since he was 15. It was this time spent with his famous designer uncle, Aldo Cibic, that taught him the ins and outs of pottery – and the moulding of dreams.
His family also supported his creative flair by taking him to art exhibitions. In addition, his natural curiosity fuelled his hunger to learn and to study the work of great artists.
One of the lessons he shared during his talk is that if you design something new; be prepared to fund it yourself. Buyers, stores and investors prefer products that can be easily catalogued.
Cibic was at TUT to celebrate Italian Design Day 2025, which is more than a single day, but a series of international events organised by Italy’s embassies and missions around the world. It aims to celebrate excellence in Italian design. Now in its ninth year, the annual celebrations are held between late February and early April in different parts of the world.
In South Africa, the celebrations – coordinated by the Italian Embassy and Consulates, and the Italian Cultural Institute – were held in Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg from 19 to 26 February.
Representatives of TUT, the Italian Embassy, and the Italian Cultural Institute, as well as judges of the student competition with Matteo Cibic.
Front row:
Michele Gialdroni (Italian Cultural Institute), Dr Grace Kanakana-Katumba (TUT), Dr Vathi Papu-Zamxaka (TUT), Marinda Bolt (TUT), Mathebe Aphane (student competition judge) and Stefania Iuliano (Italian Embassy).
Back row:
Prof Jacques Laubscher (TUT), Mattheo Cibic, Dr Tariené Gaum (TUT), Cristiana Mimmi (Italian Cultural Institute) and Braam de Villiers (judge).