Packaging on display. At the ADI Design Museum, the three Boxes for inspirational design created by Bellissimo for Bombay Sapphire

From March 4 to March 26, 2026, the ADI Design Museum in Milan hosts the exhibition Design di Filiera. La Filiera del Packaging, curated by Carlo Branzaglia and Wladimiro Bendandi and promoted by ADI – Associazione per il Disegno Industriale and UCIMA, the Italian Packaging and Processing Machinery Manufacturers’ Association.

The exhibition explores packaging beyond its technical function as a container, highlighting instead its role as a “connector” between production, communication, and use — an element capable of contributing to innovations that have an everyday impact on consumers.

Three objects created by Bellissimo are also on display within the exhibition space: the three editions of The Box for Inspirational Design, produced as special gift packs for Bombay Sapphire between 2005 and 2007, distributed to design schools and sent to selected creative contacts.

At the time, the iconic blue-bottled gin had yet to establish itself in the Italian market. Bacardi Group’s strategy initially focused on introducing the brand to creative industry communities, positioning design as its natural territory and inspiration as its core theme. From there came an extensive program of events and promotional initiatives curated by Bellissimo over nearly a decade. Among them were the acclaimed Inspirational Design Happening events — evenings featuring leading international designers and spectacular performances, always staged in exceptional locations.

Back to today, as the ADI exhibition explores packaging as a narrative and engagement tool, the Bombay Sapphire case feels especially relevant. These were surprise containers —years later, they would be called “mystery boxes”— rendered in the brand’s unmistakable blue. Upon opening —long before the term “unboxing” entered common use— they revealed a curated collection of small customized objects connected to the world of design: a pen and ruler, a notebook, a tailor’s measuring tape. Plus a kaleidoscope, adhesive tape, and a color palette designed to spark inspiration through different shades of blue.

Nearly twenty years after their creation, the exhibition’s curators have chosen to reopen them. For those who have been working at the studio for some time, they feel like memory capsules — almost artifacts of creative archaeology from a pre-social media era. Yet they also remind us that design languages ultimately rest on the strength of original ideas, unexpected juxtapositions, and attention to detail.

The exhibition is open from March 4 to March 26 at the ADI Design Museum – Compasso d’Oro in Milan.

Published: Mar 03, 2026