A collaboration between Smeg and D&G breathes new life into an ancient Sicilian art form - and your kitchen Dolce & Gabbana have never been afraid to borrow from their Italian, and more specifically, Sicilian, heritage. But while it's no great surprise that they would create dresses, sunglasses and other apparel inspired by the island, their latest collaboration is perhaps a less obvious one. The fashion powerhouse has teamed up with Smeg to create 100 one-of-a-kind fridges, each hand painted by a Sicilian artist.The two companies share a passion for promoting Italian craftsmanship and tradition and their new venture sees the fridges painted in the style of Sicily's traditional carts - a beautiful and historically rich art form that peaked almost a century ago.story_article_left1Without a doubt one of Sicily's most colourful icons, the Carretto Siciliano is an ornately carved and painted horse-drawn cart, adorned with scenes from Sicilian history and folklore. The carts were originally used as a way to impart tradition and history in a visual way, with each province in Sicily developing its own style.The carts originated in the early 1800s and reached their peak in the 1920s when thousands of them crawled across the island's streets, transporting salt, grapes or grain. Unfortunately, despite being such an integral part of the island's personality, the art form suffered a slow death - thanks to the motor vehicle - and these days you're more likely to find a cart in a museum, or in miniature form in a Sicilian curio shop.Which is why the special edition FAB28 fridges by Smeg and D&G are such an important collaboration. The companies have teamed up with six artist studios to create the 100 fridges that will feature typically Sicilian motifs such as lemons, medieval knights, battle scenes and florals.The fridges were launched at Milan's recent Salone del Mobile Fair and are retailing at €30,000 (around R500,000) each. Considering that 240 hours of workmanship went into each one, and that the fridges are preserving a lot more than just the perishables intended to be stored in them, that price tag may not be as hefty as it first seems...