Designer
From the very beginning, Arnolfo Di Cambio’s collections have always been bearing
the signature of some of the most prestigious Italian and international designers.
From the very beginning, Arnolfo Di Cambio’s collections have always been bearing
the signature of some of the most prestigious Italian and international designers.
Cini
Boeri
"I have always been fascinated with people and their behaviours [...] I like to connect with customers to figure out their needs and desires, so as to try and provide them with the best possible solution."
Born and bred in Milan, where she graduated from the Politecnico in 1951, Cini Boeri was noticed at a young age by her teacher Giò Ponti, who immediately spurred her to paint.
Later on, she started collaborating with Marco Zanuso, under whose wing her architect career took off definitively. This is how Cini Boeri came to be one of the most important Italian designers of the second half of the 20th century.
Her work has ranged from the design of buildings such as single-family homes, apartments, offices and shops, up to that of everyday objects, most notably furnishings and tableware.
Her style has always focused on the psychology of users and the functionality of objects and spaces conceived as a key to freedom, which Cini Boeri herself has always made sure to promote, especially from a woman’s perspective.
She has held conferences and lectures at many prestigious universities and institutions both in Italy and abroad, publishing several works, on architecture in particular.
Michele
De Lucchi
"When working with your hands, any mistake turns into experience and proficiency. This is true for the artist but also for the craftsman, and I’ve come to learn this lesson by working all over the world."
Born in Ferrara in 1951 and graduated in Florence in 1975, Michele De Lucchi is unquestionably one of the most important and well-known designers in the world. His works are characterised by a decisive artisan touch, which also testifies to his tight bond with the Italian tradition, strictly connected to the appreciation of individual manual labour, its unpredictability and, why not, even its imperfection.
At the same time, Michele De Lucchi has worked for large companies and industries such as Olivetti, Poste Italiane, Piaggio, Telecom Italia, Intesa San Paolo, Ferrovie dello Stato, Enel, Kartell, Poltrona Frau, Rb Rossana. His undisputed masterpiece is the Tolomeo lamp, designed for Artemide, which has become a real global design icon.
Michele De Lucchi has bee awarded with 4 Compasso d'Oro, and some of his works have been on display at important museums and galleries around the world, including the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, the Permanent Italian Design Collection of Milan’s Triennale and the MFA Boston.
Ettore
Sottsass Jr
“Design is a way to discuss life. It is a way of discussing society, politics, eroticism, food and even design itself.”
Born in Innsbruck in 1907 and graduated from the Politecnico of Turin in 1939, Ettore Sottsass established himself as one of the most unpredictable and influential designers in the world in the second half of the twentieth century.
His most renowned collaboration is that with Olivetti, for which he designed the first Italian-made electronic calculator ("Elea 9003", 1959), as well as the "Valentine" typewriter, in 1969.
In the early eighties, Ettore Sottsass founded the "Memphis" group together with Michele De Lucchi, revolutionizing the concept of design objects by adopting new canons that were more oriented towards aesthetics, decoration and communication than bound by the dogmas of rationality and functionality.
In the nineties, he gradually reduced his collaborations with Italian industries but continued to design artisan products, including the "Orfeo" collection, designed for Arnolfo di Cambio in 1999.
Numerous solo exhibitions have been dedicated to Ettore Sottsass all over the world and many of his works are preserved in prestigious museums such as the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and New York’s MoMA.
Alfredo
Häberli
"In our everyday life, we all see things from different perspectives; our vision is constantly changing, and to me, it is important that my projects tackle this issue."
Alfredo Häberli was born in Buenos Aires in 1964 and graduated in Industrial Design from the Höhere Schule für Gestaltung, in Zurich.
His work was heavily influenced by his early childhood in Argentina and his curiosity about the details of our everyday lives.
The conventions of our daily routines, along with their technological limitations, are the field in which he likes to test the true potential of design, always in search of new shapes and elements.
As an internationally renowned designer, he has been working for several leading design firms, such as Alias, BD Barcelona, BMW, Camper, FSB, Georg Jensen, Iittala, Kvadrat, Luceplan, Moroso, Schiffini and Vitra.
Numerous exhibitions have been dedicated to him and he has received several international awards. Works and drawings by Alfredo Häberli were part of various exhibitions at the European level.
Andrea
Ruggiero
Grown up between Italy, China and Austria, after studying at the Domus Academy in Milan, he graduated in Industrial Design from the Parsons School of Design in New York, in 1995. Andrea Ruggiero currently works as a freelancer, designing integrated solutions commissioned by international clients, companies and start-ups.
Driven by a global approach to design, his fields of interest extend from industrial design to furniture and furnishing accessories, from visual identity to commercial interior design.
His works have already been featured in several magazines and newspapers, and some of them were selected for various awards, including the International Future Design Fair Award (Japan, 1996), the Good Design Award (US, 2003) and two nominations for the Annual Design Review of the magazine «ID». Since 2002, he has served as a consultant for the Color Association of the United States.
Konstantin
Grcic
"Sometimes you have the chance to take part in projects that are tempting, yet driven by market goals that are not in line with your way of thinking. I have always tried to be consistent, which implies being somewhat selective, but still free of any snobbery or arrogance."
Konstantin Grcic was born in 1965 and studied Design at the Royal College of Art in London. In 1991, he founded his studio in Munich, where he began to design furniture and lighting products.
The main peculiarities of his work are minimalism and special care for the function of each object, along with a successful mixture of formal rigour, acumen and humour. On top of that, Konstantin Grcic has always paid special attention to the history of design and architecture, including the technological evolutions of materials and production processes. Among his major collaborations, it is worth mentioning those with Authentics, BD Ediciones, ClassiCon, Flos, Flötotto, Laufen, Magis, Mattiazzi, Muji, Nespresso, Plank, Serafino Zani, Thomas-Rosenthal and Vitra.
Many of his projects have received prestigious international awards, such as the Golden Compass prize for the lamp Mayday by Flos, in 2001, and then again for the chair Myto by Plank, in 2011.
Several of his works are part of the permanent collections of some important design museums such as New York’s MoMA and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
Marco
Zanuso
“...To deal with an object just once, then switch to another [...] I think I always find an interest in the diversity of the topic that needs to be addressed.”
Marco Zanuso was born in Milan in 1916 and graduated in architecture from the Politecnico in 1939. He was among the greatest masters of architecture and urban planning (Cini Boeri being one of his pupils), as well as a pioneer of industrial design aimed at mass production.
March Zanuso was one of the first Italian designers to take an interest in industrial production and his work has always stood out as a combination of technological innovation and aesthetic research.
In addition to several domestic furnishing elements, he also developed various technological products including radios, televisions, telephones and sewing machines, designed for large companies such as Olivetti and Brionvega.
For the latter, he designed one of his most successful products, the "Radio Cubo", in 1964.
Winner of seven gold compasses and six Triennale di Milano awards, many of his objects are exhibited at the MoMA in New York and at the Triennale di Milano Permanent Design Collection.
Oscar
Tusquets Blanca
“I am a very classic designer; I like to know how each object is made, and I do think that if I am involved in its evolution, the design itself will come out better.”
Born in Barcelona in 1941, Oscar Tusquets Blanca graduated as an architect in 1965 and started working as a designer of furniture and accessories in 1972.
In addition to being a friend and collaborator of Salvador Dalí, with whom he carried out several design projects, Oscar Tusquets Blanca is an all-around artist. This is why he likes to introduce himself to the public as an architect by training, designer by necessity, a painter by vocation and writer for his desire to make friends.
Among his other works, which over the years have led him to collaborate with prestigious Italian brands such as Driade and Alessi, Oscar Tusquets Blanca has recently designed the new Toledo Station of the Naples Metro, a spectacular project that recalls an evocative underwater atmosphere.
Winner of several awards both in Spain and abroad, his works have been exhibited in some of the most important museums in the world, including the MoMA in New York.
Sergio
Asti
Born and raised in Milan (1926), Sergio Asti started working in the Lombard capital in the 1950s, soon after earning an architecture degree from the Politecnico. In that very period, he rapidly established himself as one of the pioneers of industrial design and was among the founders of ADI, of which he is currently an honorary member.
As a very eclectic designer, throughout his career, he devoted himself to designing furniture, lighting products, glass and wood objects, ceramics, appliances, interior designs, shops and exhibitions.
He has been awarded several prizes, including a Golden Compass, and many of his designs are on permanent exhibition in major international museums or part of private collections, both in Italy and abroad.
Toshiyuki
Kita
“Design is a way to harmonize many complex elements into a single form. In a phrase: design is harmony ".
Toshiyuki Kita is a Japanese designer who started out in the aluminium industry. In 1967, he opened his own studio, where he began to work on everyday objects while taking an interest in traditional craftsmanship.
His research progressively led him to the fusion of future and tradition, combining natural elements with human products, industrial manufacturing with craftsmanship.
Since 1969, Toshiyuki Kita has also started working in Italy, progressively giving more and more focus to collaborating with traditional craftsmen and local industries.
He is one of the very few non-Italian designers awarded with the Golden Compass, an official recognition from design specialists that added up to his intercontinental popularity, which had been steadily growing over the decades.
Many of his works, including the famous "Wing Chair", are exhibited at the MoMA in New York, at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and at the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich.
Joe
Colombo
“My latest design experiences provide global solutions [...] aimed at establishing an evolutionary connection between present and future reality”
Cesare “Joe” Colombo was born in Milan in 1930 and received his education at the Brera Academy. His career as a designer started in 1953 and sadly came to a premature end in 1971.
However, his philosophical legacy remains intact and still imbued with a strong inclination towards the future.
Joe Colombo was, in fact, one of the most innovative industrial designers of the past century, mainly because of a unique insight that allowed him to foresee some crucial historical trends and social changes that were still a long way off.
The Elda and Minikitchen armchairs, both designed in 1963, his 1967 Spider lamp, as well as the famous Boby trolley, from 1970, are all creations that convey the idea of organizing and defining spaces and items according to the current needs.
Awarded with 2 Golden Compasses, many of his works have been exhibited in some of the most important museums in the world, such as New York’s MoMA and MMA and the Vitra Design Museum in Berlin.
Enzo
Mari
"About me, one might read that I made some exceptional objects. If that is true, it might be because I never went to school."
Enzo Mari is considered one of the greatest theorists of design at the Italian and global level. Born in Piedmont, he graduated from the Brera Academy in Milan in 1952, before making his debut as a designer in 1957.
Thanks to the wealth of products he designed for important brands such as Olivetti, Alessi and Artemide, for which he was awarded 5 Compasso d 'Oro including a lifetime achievement award, Enzo Mari is universally recognized as a true global design giant.
Rigorous and hostile to all trends, his projects have always favoured functionality, above all. According to Enzo Mari, the design and manufacturing of objects are processes that should solely address the end users, their needs and desires.
He has published several important theoretical works on design and planning, and his works have been exhibited in some of the major art and design museums worldwide, including the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, New York’s MoMA and the Triennale Design Museum in Milan.
Cini
Boeri
"I have always been fascinated with people and their behaviours [...] I like to connect with customers to figure out their needs and desires, so as to try and provide them with the best possible solution."
Born and bred in Milan, where she graduated from the Politecnico in 1951, Cini Boeri was noticed at a young age by her teacher Giò Ponti, who immediately spurred her to paint.
Later on, she started collaborating with Marco Zanuso, under whose wing her architect career took off definitively. This is how Cini Boeri came to be one of the most important Italian designers of the second half of the 20th century.
Her work has ranged from the design of buildings such as single-family homes, apartments, offices and shops, up to that of everyday objects, most notably furnishings and tableware.
Her style has always focused on the psychology of users and the functionality of objects and spaces conceived as a key to freedom, which Cini Boeri herself has always made sure to promote, especially from a woman’s perspective.
She has held conferences and lectures at many prestigious universities and institutions both in Italy and abroad, publishing several works, on architecture in particular.
Michele
De Lucchi
"When working with your hands, any mistake turns into experience and proficiency. This is true for the artist but also for the craftsman, and I’ve come to learn this lesson by working all over the world."
Born in Ferrara in 1951 and graduated in Florence in 1975, Michele De Lucchi is unquestionably one of the most important and well-known designers in the world. His works are characterised by a decisive artisan touch, which also testifies to his tight bond with the Italian tradition, strictly connected to the appreciation of individual manual labour, its unpredictability and, why not, even its imperfection.
At the same time, Michele De Lucchi has worked for large companies and industries such as Olivetti, Poste Italiane, Piaggio, Telecom Italia, Intesa San Paolo, Ferrovie dello Stato, Enel, Kartell, Poltrona Frau, Rb Rossana. His undisputed masterpiece is the Tolomeo lamp, designed for Artemide, which has become a real global design icon.
Michele De Lucchi has bee awarded with 4 Compasso d'Oro, and some of his works have been on display at important museums and galleries around the world, including the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, the Permanent Italian Design Collection of Milan’s Triennale and the MFA Boston.
Ettore
Sottsass Jr
“Design is a way to discuss life. It is a way of discussing society, politics, eroticism, food and even design itself.”
Born in Innsbruck in 1907 and graduated from the Politecnico of Turin in 1939, Ettore Sottsass established himself as one of the most unpredictable and influential designers in the world in the second half of the twentieth century.
His most renowned collaboration is that with Olivetti, for which he designed the first Italian-made electronic calculator ("Elea 9003", 1959), as well as the "Valentine" typewriter, in 1969.
In the early eighties, Ettore Sottsass founded the "Memphis" group together with Michele De Lucchi, revolutionizing the concept of design objects by adopting new canons that were more oriented towards aesthetics, decoration and communication than bound by the dogmas of rationality and functionality.
In the nineties, he gradually reduced his collaborations with Italian industries but continued to design artisan products, including the "Orfeo" collection, designed for Arnolfo di Cambio in 1999.
Numerous solo exhibitions have been dedicated to Ettore Sottsass all over the world and many of his works are preserved in prestigious museums such as the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and New York’s MoMA.
Alfredo
Häberli
"In our everyday life, we all see things from different perspectives; our vision is constantly changing, and to me, it is important that my projects tackle this issue."
Alfredo Häberli was born in Buenos Aires in 1964 and graduated in Industrial Design from the Höhere Schule für Gestaltung, in Zurich.
His work was heavily influenced by his early childhood in Argentina and his curiosity about the details of our everyday lives.
The conventions of our daily routines, along with their technological limitations, are the field in which he likes to test the true potential of design, always in search of new shapes and elements.
As an internationally renowned designer, he has been working for several leading design firms, such as Alias, BD Barcelona, BMW, Camper, FSB, Georg Jensen, Iittala, Kvadrat, Luceplan, Moroso, Schiffini and Vitra.
Numerous exhibitions have been dedicated to him and he has received several international awards. Works and drawings by Alfredo Häberli were part of various exhibitions at the European level.
Andrea
Ruggiero
Grown up between Italy, China and Austria, after studying at the Domus Academy in Milan, he graduated in Industrial Design from the Parsons School of Design in New York, in 1995. Andrea Ruggiero currently works as a freelancer, designing integrated solutions commissioned by international clients, companies and start-ups.
Driven by a global approach to design, his fields of interest extend from industrial design to furniture and furnishing accessories, from visual identity to commercial interior design.
His works have already been featured in several magazines and newspapers, and some of them were selected for various awards, including the International Future Design Fair Award (Japan, 1996), the Good Design Award (US, 2003) and two nominations for the Annual Design Review of the magazine «ID». Since 2002, he has served as a consultant for the Color Association of the United States.
Konstantin
Grcic
"Sometimes you have the chance to take part in projects that are tempting, yet driven by market goals that are not in line with your way of thinking. I have always tried to be consistent, which implies being somewhat selective, but still free of any snobbery or arrogance."
Konstantin Grcic was born in 1965 and studied Design at the Royal College of Art in London. In 1991, he founded his studio in Munich, where he began to design furniture and lighting products.
The main peculiarities of his work are minimalism and special care for the function of each object, along with a successful mixture of formal rigour, acumen and humour. On top of that, Konstantin Grcic has always paid special attention to the history of design and architecture, including the technological evolutions of materials and production processes. Among his major collaborations, it is worth mentioning those with Authentics, BD Ediciones, ClassiCon, Flos, Flötotto, Laufen, Magis, Mattiazzi, Muji, Nespresso, Plank, Serafino Zani, Thomas-Rosenthal and Vitra.
Many of his projects have received prestigious international awards, such as the Golden Compass prize for the lamp Mayday by Flos, in 2001, and then again for the chair Myto by Plank, in 2011.
Several of his works are part of the permanent collections of some important design museums such as New York’s MoMA and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
Marco
Zanuso
“...To deal with an object just once, then switch to another [...] I think I always find an interest in the diversity of the topic that needs to be addressed.”
Marco Zanuso was born in Milan in 1916 and graduated in architecture from the Politecnico in 1939. He was among the greatest masters of architecture and urban planning (Cini Boeri being one of his pupils), as well as a pioneer of industrial design aimed at mass production.
March Zanuso was one of the first Italian designers to take an interest in industrial production and his work has always stood out as a combination of technological innovation and aesthetic research.
In addition to several domestic furnishing elements, he also developed various technological products including radios, televisions, telephones and sewing machines, designed for large companies such as Olivetti and Brionvega.
For the latter, he designed one of his most successful products, the "Radio Cubo", in 1964.
Winner of seven gold compasses and six Triennale di Milano awards, many of his objects are exhibited at the MoMA in New York and at the Triennale di Milano Permanent Design Collection.
Oscar
Tusquets Blanca
“I am a very classic designer; I like to know how each object is made, and I do think that if I am involved in its evolution, the design itself will come out better.”
Born in Barcelona in 1941, Oscar Tusquets Blanca graduated as an architect in 1965 and started working as a designer of furniture and accessories in 1972.
In addition to being a friend and collaborator of Salvador Dalí, with whom he carried out several design projects, Oscar Tusquets Blanca is an all-around artist. This is why he likes to introduce himself to the public as an architect by training, designer by necessity, a painter by vocation and writer for his desire to make friends.
Among his other works, which over the years have led him to collaborate with prestigious Italian brands such as Driade and Alessi, Oscar Tusquets Blanca has recently designed the new Toledo Station of the Naples Metro, a spectacular project that recalls an evocative underwater atmosphere.
Winner of several awards both in Spain and abroad, his works have been exhibited in some of the most important museums in the world, including the MoMA in New York.
Sergio
Asti
Born and raised in Milan (1926), Sergio Asti started working in the Lombard capital in the 1950s, soon after earning an architecture degree from the Politecnico. In that very period, he rapidly established himself as one of the pioneers of industrial design and was among the founders of ADI, of which he is currently an honorary member.
As a very eclectic designer, throughout his career, he devoted himself to designing furniture, lighting products, glass and wood objects, ceramics, appliances, interior designs, shops and exhibitions.
He has been awarded several prizes, including a Golden Compass, and many of his designs are on permanent exhibition in major international museums or part of private collections, both in Italy and abroad.
Toshiyuki
Kita
“Design is a way to harmonize many complex elements into a single form. In a phrase: design is harmony ".
Toshiyuki Kita is a Japanese designer who started out in the aluminium industry. In 1967, he opened his own studio, where he began to work on everyday objects while taking an interest in traditional craftsmanship.
His research progressively led him to the fusion of future and tradition, combining natural elements with human products, industrial manufacturing with craftsmanship.
Since 1969, Toshiyuki Kita has also started working in Italy, progressively giving more and more focus to collaborating with traditional craftsmen and local industries.
He is one of the very few non-Italian designers awarded with the Golden Compass, an official recognition from design specialists that added up to his intercontinental popularity, which had been steadily growing over the decades.
Many of his works, including the famous "Wing Chair", are exhibited at the MoMA in New York, at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and at the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich.
Joe
Colombo
“My latest design experiences provide global solutions [...] aimed at establishing an evolutionary connection between present and future reality”
Cesare “Joe” Colombo was born in Milan in 1930 and received his education at the Brera Academy. His career as a designer started in 1953 and sadly came to a premature end in 1971.
However, his philosophical legacy remains intact and still imbued with a strong inclination towards the future.
Joe Colombo was, in fact, one of the most innovative industrial designers of the past century, mainly because of a unique insight that allowed him to foresee some crucial historical trends and social changes that were still a long way off.
The Elda and Minikitchen armchairs, both designed in 1963, his 1967 Spider lamp, as well as the famous Boby trolley, from 1970, are all creations that convey the idea of organizing and defining spaces and items according to the current needs.
Awarded with 2 Golden Compasses, many of his works have been exhibited in some of the most important museums in the world, such as New York’s MoMA and MMA and the Vitra Design Museum in Berlin.
Enzo
Mari
"About me, one might read that I made some exceptional objects. If that is true, it might be because I never went to school."
Enzo Mari is considered one of the greatest theorists of design at the Italian and global level. Born in Piedmont, he graduated from the Brera Academy in Milan in 1952, before making his debut as a designer in 1957.
Thanks to the wealth of products he designed for important brands such as Olivetti, Alessi and Artemide, for which he was awarded 5 Compasso d 'Oro including a lifetime achievement award, Enzo Mari is universally recognized as a true global design giant.
Rigorous and hostile to all trends, his projects have always favoured functionality, above all. According to Enzo Mari, the design and manufacturing of objects are processes that should solely address the end users, their needs and desires.
He has published several important theoretical works on design and planning, and his works have been exhibited in some of the major art and design museums worldwide, including the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, New York’s MoMA and the Triennale Design Museum in Milan.
