Smeg (appliances)
Encyclopedia
Smeg is an Italian manufacturer of upmarket domestic appliances.
SMEG was founded by Vittorio Bertazzoni in 1948 as Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla (metal enamelling factory) in the village of Guastalla
, Reggio Emilia
, Italy
. The company is still in the private ownership of the Bertazzoni family, with Roberto Bertazzoni the current chairman and CEO. The company remains headquartered in Guastalla.
" refrigerator
s (the FAB range) that have curved corners and come in a variety of non-traditional colors (for example pastel blue, lime green, orange, yellow and pink) and patterns (including striped, Union Jack and various other themed versions). The FAB range has now extended to cover dishwashers, washing machines and even (in the UK) flueless gas fires.
More recently they have expanded their product range to include induction hobs
, integrated washing machines and washer dryers. In addition, they scored a hit with sales on the “Opera” range of freestanding range cookers, such as the A1, which has almost become a style icon, much like the famed FAB28 fridge and its derivatives. These products, along with style-led design in other areas, has led to SMEG being regardedby consumers and the media as leading the industry in design and aesthetics.
and EastEnders
and even Wallace and Gromit
have a 'SMUG'. Jamie Oliver
regularly cooks on an A2 "Opera" range cooker; indeed SMEG appliances are regularly seen on cooking programmes in general. Some recent TV adverts have also seen versions of the FAB machines with their badges removed. A recent channel 4 advert features a red FAB10 fridge (with the name SMEG removed) on a boat floating along a canal in Amsterdam flanked by two happy Grolsch drinkers. SMEG personally sponsored Gilles Villeneuve for his drive in for the Ferrari F1 team in the early 80's.
It has no direct link to the profanity used by the crew in Red Dwarf
of the same spelling, derived from common British slang for smegma
.
SMEG was founded by Vittorio Bertazzoni in 1948 as Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla (metal enamelling factory) in the village of Guastalla
Guastalla
Guastalla is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.-Geography:Guastalla is situated in the Po Valley, and lies on the banks of the Po River...
, Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The company is still in the private ownership of the Bertazzoni family, with Roberto Bertazzoni the current chairman and CEO. The company remains headquartered in Guastalla.
FAB Appliances
They are best known for their 1950s-style "retroRetro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
" refrigerator
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is a common household appliance that consists of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump that transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its external environment so that the inside of the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room...
s (the FAB range) that have curved corners and come in a variety of non-traditional colors (for example pastel blue, lime green, orange, yellow and pink) and patterns (including striped, Union Jack and various other themed versions). The FAB range has now extended to cover dishwashers, washing machines and even (in the UK) flueless gas fires.
Induction cooker
An induction cooker uses induction heating for cooking. Unlike other forms of cooking, heat is generated directly in the pot or pan , as opposed to being generated in the stovetop by electrical coils or burning gas...
, integrated washing machines and washer dryers. In addition, they scored a hit with sales on the “Opera” range of freestanding range cookers, such as the A1, which has almost become a style icon, much like the famed FAB28 fridge and its derivatives. These products, along with style-led design in other areas, has led to SMEG being regardedby consumers and the media as leading the industry in design and aesthetics.
In the media
SMEG's status has become almost iconic and is much seen on both the large and small screen. FAB fridges and fridge freezers can be seen in V for VendettaV for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
and EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and even Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...
have a 'SMUG'. Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
regularly cooks on an A2 "Opera" range cooker; indeed SMEG appliances are regularly seen on cooking programmes in general. Some recent TV adverts have also seen versions of the FAB machines with their badges removed. A recent channel 4 advert features a red FAB10 fridge (with the name SMEG removed) on a boat floating along a canal in Amsterdam flanked by two happy Grolsch drinkers. SMEG personally sponsored Gilles Villeneuve for his drive in for the Ferrari F1 team in the early 80's.
It has no direct link to the profanity used by the crew in Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
of the same spelling, derived from common British slang for smegma
Smegma
Smegma is a combination of exfoliated epithelial cells, transudated skin oils, and moisture. It occurs in both female and male mammalian genitalia.-Human smegma:Both females and males produce smegma...
.
