Up until the 1930’s, much of what is today called industrial design was considered ‘decorative art’. It was only after WWII that it became known as ‘industrial design’ with the production of the first Vespa scooters by Piaggio (1945) – on an industrial level.

The story goes that the Piaggio company was making front-landing gear and wheels for WWII fighter planes. After the war ended, they didn’t know how to further use this equipment so Mr. Piaggio had a very creative idea: design a scooter and use the machinery to make its wheels. The commission to design it was given to an engineer by the name of D’Aschanio, a Piaggio employee. The rest of course, is history, as the world’s most famous scooter was born!