How does a Kartell project take shape? From a team of international designers and their exchange of ideas, from technological challenges and new philosophies, from the evolution of creative intuition to a contemporary style icon.

From the beginning of its adventure in industrial design, Kartell has always collaborated with the most important designers of the moment: from Gino Colobini to the Castiglioni brothers, from Anna Castelli Ferrieri to Joe Colombo. A team that has always maintained a close link with the brand, through a constant and progressive dialogue. Beginning in the late 1980s, with the rise of Kartell’s “second generation”, the brand has produced objects designed by the world’s most renowned designers and their own interpretations of a signature aesthetic sense. Phillip Starck, for example, brought courage and irony to his experiments with plastic, “a material that many consider cheap, and that Kartell has made aristocratic,” says the designer behind the revolutionary new chair: Mr. Impossible – a chair formed by two supporting structures that have been welded together – that appears to float in the air despite its ergonomic form and resistant construction. Sound impossible? As Starck himself reveals, “The story of Mr. Impossible is about a dream.” Once again, the synergy between the artist and the company has resulted in an item that evokes a unique sensation while providing functionality and purpose. It may sound impossible, but it’s the secret to Kartell’s success.

Each designer brings a unique voice and story: Patricia Urquiola’s soft, feminine touch recalls an Art Deco taste, incorporating the allure of lace and embroidery in the pattern of the T-table, when the clean lines of Piero Lissoni provide cleaner, more minimalist lines as shown in his chair, Lizz. Different signatures behind distinct sensibilities and backgrounds: the Oriental weaves presented in Tokujin Yoshioka’s Ami Ami chair, the masterful shape of the Stone stool by Marcel Wanders and the artistic flair of Ron Arad’s bottle holder, Infinity.
Mario Bellini, one of Italian design’s greatest masters, launches a new collection of small objects with Dune, a reflective tray that provides an optical illusions thanks to its natural materials interpreted in an array of vibrant colors. The desire to explore, re-invent, and push the boundaries of design: Kartell continues to lead the way with its mix of technical advancement and creative exchange, Made in Italy tradition and an eye to the future.