“Utility” was a revolutionary product for its modern material, its range of colours and the fun and freshness that it injected into a grey market.
Do you remember the Paninari who wore Timberland shoes, Best Company sweaters and a different coloured Mandarina knapsack every day?

The “Tank” travel line was as successful abroad as the “Utility” line was in Italy.
How did it all get started? Once, while travelling in the United States, Paolo and Giorgione bought a black nylon suitcase.
After they got home, Pietro showed it to Piero and they agreed that then was the right moment to create a new and bolder men’s travel line. The colour black was chosen because it was very trendy at that time.
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Kuala Lumpur, “KL” to friends, has just welcomed a Mandarina Duck store.
It’s hosted in the Pavilion, a mall in the heart of this electrified, multi-ethnic capital city of Malaysia, which is both rooted in traditions and looking to the future.
Traveling on the monorail makes you feel as if it’s the year 2050. The mix of mirrors, ultra-modern architecture and deco or colonial buildings makes the city look like any western metropolis, except for the frangipane flowers, tamaka and palm trees that line the streets.
Nature is a fully recognized citizen of this city. The tropical forest and KL are inseparable.

The Petronas Towers are the symbol of the city. You’ve probably seen them in the adventure scenes of Entrapment  with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The 452-meter towers are very imposing and are now the second tallest building in the world. The ride up is free but you’ll have to line up at 8 am, if you want to get one of the 500 tickets that are available daily. For experts in meditation only!
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I’d just landed at Taipei Airport. It was my third stopover after having departed from Venice and changed planes in Frankfurt and Hong Kong.

My first impression of the airport was neither very good nor very reassuring. After walking down a long corridor, I came to a small duty-free shop right beside the barriers that lead to the customs check. This airport was just not as nice as most Asian airports, in particular Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul or even Shanghai, which I used to think was the worst.

My first impression became a certainty after looking for a restaurant to have dinner in. I had already tasted Taiwanese cuisine and liked it. What a disappointment! The airport had no restaurants at all!
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This is my last post to say goodbye to you all. This time I’m being quite serious.

I’ve always said that when a really great opportunity comes your way, you have to take it.
And one has come to me. So, I’m leaving Mandarina Duck to start down a new and important career path.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you’re rid of me. I’ll be reading Duckside and keeping an eye on the company that helped me to grow (and also to rack my brain, work hard, have fun and travel), it will just be from the outside!

A big hug to all

Andrea

Technorati Tags: Andrea Signori, Opportunities

Here I am again to tell you about my latest experiences in the world of hi-tech and information technology.

The new Apple Mac OS 10.5 “Leopard” has just come out and I absolutely had to run to an Apple store to see, try and buy the ultra-flat 24″ screen with an integrated Leopard system.

Luckily, I was in Hong Kong when the new operating system was officially launched, so I rushed to my favourite store in Kowloon to find out all about it.
Have you tried it yet?
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I’ve already told you about how I love to surround myself with designer objects, even in my daily life.
Whenever I can, I buy something on-line.

I’m fascinated by ideas that don’t come from some far off empyreal.
Such as when nature inspires arts, known as Organic Design.

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Mandarina Duck has just launched Joy, its new eco-friendly suitcase line.
The bags and travel goods are made from DuPont™ Sorona®, a renewably sourced polymer that is partially made from corn for fabric, which is naturally more eco-sustainable than nylon.
The suitcases are soft and attractive, and because they are made with Sorona® are a better choice for you and the environment.
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I’ve just gotten back to my desk and while I’m still a little chilly and tired, I’m also quite re-energized.
If it’s true that one’s workload is inversely proportional to the amount of empty space on one’s desk, then my future doesn’t look too good. While I was away, my heaps of papers have multiplied.

However, for the next little while, I can live off the memory of my recent holiday filled with the arts.

It all started just before Christmas, when I had been chosen to take my aunt and uncle to Malpensa Airport in Milan for their journey to some warm place. Right near the ticket counter of Terminal 1, I came across the “Solar Disk” by Arnaldo Pomodoro, which was amongst many other masterpieces by twenty 20th-century masters in the show “Exhibair, Twenty Masters from the Farnesina Collection“.
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