FCA Centro Stile sketches, in support of disadvantaged children

The FCA charity initiative for the most vulnerable children and their education – named stART Again – was established as a cooperation with Save the Children, an International Organization that has striven for over a century to safeguard children at risk and guarantee them a future.

Drawing is one of the main means of conveying a message, of communicating. It is a form of expression within everyone’s reach, the form most often practiced by children. Drawings were the starting point for the designers at the FCA Centro Stile in their creation of the stART Again project, the aim of which is to respond to the alarm sounded by the Organization in their “Rewrite the Future” campaign, to provide help, materials, education, opportunities and hope to 100,000 children living in the most disadvantaged areas of Italy.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, children have had to drastically change their habits, just like adults have. No more school, no more sports and games, no more grandparents, no more playgrounds or ice creams with friends. In particular, Save the Children has noted that the coronavirus outbreak could have a devastating impact on the lives and futures of millions of children. Vulnerable children living in the most disadvantaged areas and in the most precarious families are even more at risk. Children and adolescents who, even in Italy, are trapped between increasing material poverty – with a million more children in Italy alone at risk of slipping into absolute poverty – and the scarcity of educational opportunities due to school closures.

It is therefore essential to act now. FCA is doing so with stART Again – a project bringing together art and the intention to start again – to make its own contribution to the Save the Children policy intervention, by selling 136 copies of sketches of the most iconic models from every FCA brand and realized by the designers of Centro Stile. For each country, the sketches can be purchased from the e-commerce merchandising platform of each respective brand: Fiat, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Abarth and Fiat Professional.

The starting point represented by children’s ‘graphic signs’ – ‘sketches’ in the language of design – demonstrates the power of empathy that can only be embodied by artistic action. The Centro Stile car designers were well aware of this when selecting sketches of models for each brand. From the electric Fiat 500, FCA’s first electrified car and the starting point for a new era, to the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA – the new mass-production supercar, a perfect balance of the legendary model and the technological innovations it now offers. We also see sketches of the mighty, roaring Abarth 595 and the legendary Jeep Willys, the first lightweight 4×4. Last but not least comes Fiat Professional’s Ducato: apart from its great sales figures, this van has recently played a major role in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, having been used as an ambulance for thousands of patients throughout Europe.

“Design lies not only in how a vehicle is made and what it represents,” said Klaus Busse, Head of the FCA Centro Stile, “it is also a vehicle for emotions. That’s why it strikes such a chord with children and young people. For us designers, who have made drawing our profession, excellence in the production of a sketch becomes a potent means of communication. We want to take these ‘graphic signs’ as a starting point, to share them with fans of our brands and with those who wish to make their own contribution to the future of children who are now living through very difficult times.”

With a nominal contribution of only €20, you too can buy a copy of a sketch we have chosen, then download it, to take a slice of the history of automotive design home with you. A means to discover the style and passion that lies behind each and every FCA model. The proceeds from all sales will be used by Save the Children to provide much-needed supplies, teaching materials and support for the studies of thousands of children in Italy.