Kartell

‘’Kartell - The Culture of Plastics’’… In just over 50 years, this famous Italian company has revolutionised plastic, elevating it and propelling it into the refined world of luxury. Today, Kartell has more than a hundred showrooms all over the world and a good number of its creations have become cult pieces on display in the most prestigious museums. The famous Kartell Louis Ghost armchair has the most sales for armchairs in the world, with 1.5 million sales! Challenging the material, constantly researching new tactile, visual and aesthetic effects - Kartell faces every challenge! With more than 60 years of experience of dealing with plastic, the brand has a unique know-how and an unquenchable thirst for innovation. Kartell harnesses technological progress: notably, we owe them for the first totally transparent plastic chair, injection moulds, laser welding and more! Kartell is a true family success story! In 1950, the engineer Giulio Castelli and his wife, the architect Anna Castelli Ferrieri, founded the company, specialising in the industrial production of plastic accessories. The couple quickly decided to make products for homes. At that time, wood and sober shades were the norm in middle-class interiors, while plastic had no place. The Castellis wanted to revolutionise the home and bring plastic furniture into the middle class's living rooms.... Therefore, they needed to create a new design for a new material. In order to do so, they completely reinvented plastic by creating innovative forms and infusing them with colour and transparency. A true Italian design pioneer, Anna Castelli Ferrieri managed to create her own interpretation of this new material and to invent an elegant, meticulous and intelligent formal language. In 1967, the Universal 4867 chair, by Joe Colombo, appeared in the Kartell catalogue. It was the first model to be made by injection-moulding in the world. Kartell's creations have formed part of MoMa, as well as hallways all over the world. In 1979, Kartell received a Compasso d'Oro, becoming the first design company to receive one.  In 1988, Giulio Castelli entrusted the management of the company to his son-in-law, Claudio Luti, who is the current president of Kartell. The former right-hand man of Gianni Versace, Claudio Luti has breathed new life into the company by taking inspiration from the world of fashion: the idea of collections which mark the seasons, firm favourite purchases and so on. He decided to go upmarket, invest in technical research and present products in tailored boutiques. Partnerships with leading international designers keep on coming:  Ron Arad, Piero Lissoni, Patrick Jouin, the Bouroullec brothers, Ferruccio Laviani, and more. A long-time collaborator, Philippe Starck  has been the brand's essential designer since the 1990s. In 1998, Philippe Starck designed the La Marie chair and Kartell became the first company in the world to create a completely transparent chair. From the Louis Ghost chair to the more recent Masters chair, they have achieved one success after another together, united by their desire for innovation. In the words of Philippe Starck, Kartell's products ‘’are as well designed as they are made and perfectly fit their time thanks to their very reasonable prices".

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