Ánako

Ánako APS is an independent social design laboratory based in Italy, founded in 2022 by a group of architects, designers and communication professionals from different countries. It applies design, research and innovation to humanitarian emergencies and vulnerable communities, working with universities, NGOs and manufacturers so that solutions can be produced, repaired and replicated where they are needed.

Its projects include Kanguro, a life jacket developed with Veleria San Giorgio that keeps a mother and her baby together in the water, and a folding cardboard emergency cradle of which 800 units reached refugee camps in Ukraine. Ánako also runs the Ánako Challenge with design schools worldwide, and in 2026 received a Compasso d’Oro for ‘+ Vicini da lontano’, after a Best of the Best at the Seoul Design Award 2025.