Cartel (design)
Kartell is an Italian design factory based in Noviglio near Milan, founded in 1949 by Giulio Castelli. The company has made an international name for itself in the production of plastic furniture in industrial design and has 150 flagship stores and 850 exhibition spaces worldwide .
history
The engineer and chemist Giulio Castelli founded the Kartell company in 1949 together with Michele Pistorio and Enos Rastelli. Initially, however, it did not specialize in the production of designer furniture, but in the manufacture of plastic parts for cars and household accessories.
1960s
In the 1960s, the brand's range was expanded to include furnishings. For the first time, new manufacturing processes were used, with the help of which robust and hard-wearing plastics could be developed. This resulted in the K4999 children's chair in 1964 in cooperation with the designers Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper. Over the years, more and more plastic furniture series came onto the market and the success of Kartell began to roll.
Another highlight are the stackable container elements in the Componibili collection by Anna Castelli Ferrieri , the founder's wife. The specialty of the pieces of furniture is that they do without any screws or fixings.
Corporate crisis and upheaval in the 1970s and 1980s
In 1972 the company moved from Milan to Noviglio. The following year there was an oil price shock. This also had an impact on the company's plastic production, as the expensive oil, as an integral part of the manufacturing process, ensured that the prices for Kartell furniture also shot up. In the 1980s, the increasing ecological movements resulted in a massive loss of image for plastic as a working material. But in collaboration with Philippe Starck , Kartell finally managed to return to the designer furniture stage. In 1989 the company brought the chair Dr. Glob from Starck's designs. With this, the company's plastic products were able to re-establish themselves in the furniture industry. At the end of the 1980s, Claudio Luti, formerly a consultant to Gianni Versace , became the new manager at Kartell, replacing company boss Giulio Castelli at the top.
New upswing in the 1990s and after the turn of the millennium
Over the years, the label has brought more and more designers on board, which has led to numerous new releases such as:
- Mobile container system by Antonio Citterio
- Louis Ghost designer chair by Philippe Starck
- Regal Bookworm by Ron Arad
- Bourgie table lamp by Ferruccio Laviani
In 1999, after years of intensive research, Kartell achieved the breakthrough: It was the first company in the world to bring furnishings made of polycarbonate onto the market. At that time, the material opened up completely new perspectives in furniture production. Thanks to its weatherproof properties, the material is particularly suitable for the outdoor furniture series from Kartell. In addition, unusual shapes, colors and designs were now possible in the manufacture of new items. This is how Kartell gained international fame with its plastic furniture in the early millennia. To this day, the label has remained true to the futuristic and original style of its creations and challenges itself and its team anew with every design. On the occasion of the company's 50th anniversary, the Kartell Museum was established in 1999. It houses 30,000 exhibits, including 15,000 photographs and 8,000 objects. In this way, both the cultural and the ideal legacy should be preserved and carried on.
Designer
The company's success is based not only on its research work and project developments, but also on the achievements of its renowned designers.
Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck was born in Paris , the year Kartell was founded (1949), where he grew up and later studied at École Nisim de Camondo. His inventive spirit and talent for unconventional work quickly became apparent in his youth. In 1980 the designer and architect founded his own company, Starck Products. He quickly rose to become one of the most sought-after artists of his time. And it has remained so to this day. This is evidenced by the numerous awards he has received over the years for his unique and famous work.
Patricia Urquiola
The Spanish designer and architect was born in Oviedo in 1961. She completed an architecture degree in Madrid and did her doctorate in 1989 in Milan with the well-known Italian industrial designer Achille Castiglioni . Patricia Urquiola has had her own planning office for design, architecture and installations in Milan since 2001 . Your designs for Kartell are characterized by a fragile and playful look. An overview of the designers who worked or are among others for Kartell:
- Philippe Starck
- Anna Castelli Ferrieri
- Antonio Citterio
- Enzo Mari
- Andries van Onck
- Michele de Lucchi
- Patricia Urquiola
- Ferruccio Laviani
- Ron Arad
- Vico Magistretti
- Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
Awards
Kartell has received various awards since it was founded in 1949. These include, for example:
- 9 Compassi d'Oro
- Good Design Award, 2010 and 2012
- Interior Design's Best of Year Award, 2012
- Red Dot Design Award, 2017 and 2019
literature
- Elisa Storace, Hans Werner Holzwarth (Ed.): Kartell. The culture of plastics. Taschen, Cologne 2012, ISBN 978-3-8365-3085-9
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kartell Company Profile . In: kartell.com; accessed on February 12, 2020.
- ↑ From pioneer to classic: designer furniture from Kartell. In: ambientedirect.com; accessed on February 12, 2020.
- ↑ Kartell Company Profile . In: kartell.com; accessed on February 12, 2020.
- ↑ Kartell Museo . In: kartell.com; accessed on February 13, 2020.
- ↑ Red Dot Design Award website ; accessed on February 13, 2020