Books that blossom into elaborate packaging and accessories are not uncommon, especially in the realm of high-end monographs. The newest publication from Assouline certainly falls into this category, being a richly-illustration celebration of the 80th anniversary of iconic Italian manufacturer Vespa.
Just a few of the many Vespa models created throughout the previous eight decades.
Not only is there a book, but together, the New York-based publishers and Vespa have created seven bikes finished in the publisher’s signature red and decorated with patterns and motifs taken from the graphic Assouline Travel Series. These are paired with a selection of open-faced helmets that use the same identity.
A U.K. advertisement for Vespa, circa 1990
The book itself is typically ambitious in scale and scope for the publisher. Put together by the writer and creative director Michael Köckritz, it draws upon reams of archive imagery – both from the company’s own records and from the myriad occasions in which Vespa has been at the forefront of style and glamour.
Ursula Andress on a Vespa in London, 1965. Britain was one of the first countries outside of Italy to thoroughly adopt the Vespa.
Vespa means ‘wasp’, a suitably buzzy name for a mode of transport that came to define the sight and sound of Italian city streets after World War Two. Industrialist Rinaldo Piaggio founded the company that bore his name in 1884, first to build rail equipment before diversifying into military machinery, including speedboats, seaplanes and aeroplanes. The company’s Tuscan factory was destroyed in the war and Enrico Piaggio, Rinaldo’s son, set up a new facility and a new mission; mass transit.
A Vespa race along Italy’s Bay of Naples in May 1957
The original Vespa, the MP6, was engineered in house by Renzo Spolti and Vittorio Casini with fared-in bodywork styled by aeronautical engineer Corradino D'Ascanio. The monograph retells the story of the Vespa’s name: ‘After hearing the buzz of the engine of the first prototype, Enrico Piaggio commented, 'it sounds like a vespa!’.'
A group of dashing Vespa enthusiasts pause during a journey through Vietnam
The name – and noise – proved an instant hit, with hundreds of variants produced over the decades. Taken up by everyone from youth subcultures to film stars, Vespa’s identity has remained as fluid and welcoming as the flowing lines of the bike itself.
The 2021 Vespa Primavera Sean Wotherspoon is a limited edition built for bold style. The design utilizes an unapologetic mix of yellow, red, green, and aqua
Thankfully for the reader, this pan-cultural influence has resulted in some fantastic imagery, and the book is a visual feast for lovers of two-wheeled simplicity and timeless glamour. Keen riders will need to be quick if they want to snatch up the limited edition run of helmets, but the rest of us can just bask in the effortlessly good times chronicled within these pages.
The special edition helmets released as part of the Assouline x Vespa Collaboration
Vespa, €120, available from EU.Assouline.com and Store.Vespa.com. A gift set including the book and helmet retails for €389