Kartell was founded by Giulio Castelli in 1949, Italy. Today the company counts more than 70 years of experience, during which it has been pursuing beauty and quality together with great designers. Kartell is a perfect symbiosis of its past and future, using the historic traditions and skills, mixing them with the latest technologies, focusing on the future vision. From the year 1988, the direction of the company was taken in the hands of Claudio Luti, who was a son-in-law of the founder Giulio Castelli. Claudio came with a background in fashion and soon shifted the company’s path to a new direction. Coming from Versace fashion house, Claudio had a strong love for tasteful design and perfection. Collaborations with talented designers such as Vico Magistretti, Mario Bellini, Alberto Meda, Patricia Urquiola, Piero Lissoni, Philipe Starck, Ron Arad, and many others, resulted in iconic pieces that carved a recognition for Kartell.
Innovations and new technologies were always a priority in Kartell. The company studied, experimented, and enriched the materials it used and ended up offering some of the striking characteristics – in 1999 Kartell was the first company to use polycarbonate in the furnishing production. The result of this invention was the transparent La Marie chair of minimalistic and contemporary design, which led to the creation of the company’s bestseller – Louis Ghost armchair.
This invention has prompted the brand to further develop and explore the transparency and new technologies for obtaining high-performance materials that opened the door to limitless possibilities for creating unique and original production.
Today Kartell is a brand that strongly focuses on the future. Claudio Luti’s children, Lorenza and Federico, joined the company as a marketing and retail director and commercial director, to expand the horizons of the brand and introduce new product lines, from the lighting design to outdoor furnishing, experimenting with non-plastic materials.
The company is an active participant in the furnishing design industry, being a part of the Altagamma Association since 1997. Claudio Luti had the honor to be selected as the president of the organization in 2012, currently taking part as a Vice president responsible for Design. Moreover, Giulio Castelli, the founder of Kartell, was also a co-founder of ADI – Industrial Design Association, established in 1956.
Innovation matters
Due to advanced technologies and certified materials, Kartell is able to produce pieces of the finest quality. Features such as resistance and durability are the core of Kartell’s production.
The company has refined the manufacturing process making it stable and reliable, which led to the optimized process where inefficiencies and waste are brought to the minimum, and the products made have the lowest polluting level and 100% recyclable.
Retail vision
Kartell has always focused on several channels of reaching the audience at once, including online and offline purchasing experiences. The company owns 150 flagship stores, 850 Kartell spaces, and 1500 clients around the world.
Every flagship store of the brand has a special display that changes four or even six times per year. Kartell directly owns its flagship stores and constantly expands with opening new stores strengthening its leadership position globally.
Communication
Kartell communicates through various channels and activities, including installations, exhibitions, events, co-marketing through an international network, and also social media. Every year the brand proposes a renewed concept for the Salone de Mobile, which is the most important international showcase of the company with constantly developing the identity of Kartell.
Recognition
Kartell has won 9 Compassi d‘Oro awards for industrial design. In 1999 the company founded the Kartell Museum where the company’s history is recorded. In 2000 the museum has been awarded the Guggenheim Enterprise & Culture Award for the best business museum.