World

70 years of history, of family, of culture and design, of industrial products, new materials and cutting edge technologies

70 Years of ongoing research and exchange with the great designers, with the aim of pursuing beauty and absolute quality. 70 years of market success, of cooperation and partnerships, of events and projects destined for sale and communication.

the DNA of kartell

DESIGN

Being a design company allows Kartell to express its creativity on multiple fronts. The commitment is to look to the long term and to design and produce objects that will not suffer from the passage of time. Pursuing creativity is the choice of the company to be able to work on different materials without preclusions. This happens if the design is original, the result of a creative process that takes shape in constant dialogue, free from influence, between the entrepreneur and the designer. It is a refined relationship in which creative thought stems from the business know-how, transforming and being shaped into an object.

the DNA of kartell

BEAUTY

The economy of beauty takes Kartell into the future with the ability to draw on Italy’s unrivalled cultural heritage and translate it into objects that are beautiful and sustainable. The company’s ambition is to make beauty sustainable. Beauty also demands an appropriate arrangement of furnishings in our points of sale. Beauty is key to the way we communicate, and to how we create window displays and dialogue (directly or digitally) with our customers, in short, to the way we present the world of Kartell. Beauty can assume many forms: an event, a book, a conference, a major international event, Salone del Mobile with its tradition and excitement, an exclusive setting in special places across the world. Kartell is an ambassador for beauty and is committed to continuing to preserve it and make it available to as many people as possible.

the DNA of kartell

SUSTAINABILITY

It is a continuously evolving concept. Everything that is done today and that comes from the past must be sustainable. There is no other way. This is the route that Kartell has taken, starting from compliance with objectives in the design phase of every new product. Namely to respect the commitment defined in the manifesto “Kartell loves the planet”, progressively continuing to improve the results in the various areas of action from the product to organisational management, finance and social.As always, the materials are the very heart of the sustainable evolution process. The leading role is today played by recycled material, in its Polypropylene, ABS and PMMA versions, derived from pure industrial waste, wood from certified forests, bio materials derived from agricultural waste, polycarbonate 2.0 that generates green transparency from paper and cellulose waste, ceramics and fabrics using recycled materials through to bio finishings containing now chemical solvents. Sustainability is also, however, attention to the details, on which Kartell strives to achieve UN goals. In each and every present and future action, Kartell aims to be a virtuous circular economy model.

the DNA of kartell

INTELLIGENCE

Artificial intelligence, metaverse, digital art. Kartell too has tried out A.I., first of all in an innovative project but it did so to support human intelligence, because this is what must prevail at all times. Only the workings of a creative mind can produce timeless objects that span the ages – objects that draw inspiration from the past to become future design icons, totally functional, ahead of the times, but still able to preserve their beauty and valuable identity as the years go by and as textures, colours, are currently needs and materials change.Intelligence means being “smart” enough to know when to change the way you look without ever changing the way you are. Intelligence that makes it possible to optimize the minimum use of raw material right from the design phase, avoiding waste.

the DNA of kartell

TECHNOLOGY

In order to pursue creativity, sometimes we find ourselves confronted with a problem related to technology that was not there but that we try to solve with research and passion in order to transform an obstacle into an opportunity. Continuous advances in science are making it possible to identify new machines and processes that are more functional in the pursuit of sustainability as well as performance. Like injection moulding machines that use less raw material, green transformation techniques, the conversion of waste into noble material. Technology is all this and more for Kartell. Technology is a modus operandi: Kartell uses it to work better, and to work faster. Because change is rapid on today’s market and Kartell needs to stay ahead.

the DNA of kartell

QUALITY

Product quality, production controls and after-sales assistance are the elements that distinguish the original from the copy. The success of Kartell products has often given rise to counterfeits and imitations. The company therefore needs to be rigorous in guaranteeing total originality and excellent quality throughout the supply chain, from design to production, promotion, and sale. Excellent relations with end customers is ensured by our ability to communicate and to excite others by relating the genesis and value of our product. The quality is also guaranteed by the certifications for the different types of products and production processes: from UNI standards for product strength and durability or Greenguard attesting low CO2 emissions in indoor spaces, through to the upstream certification of raw materials that have, in turn, already been certified with respect to origin, such as FSC wood or the synthesis process.

the DNA of kartell

CULTURE

Culture in Kartell “materializes”; in creating, in managing one’s wealth of experience, transforming it into a common and shared heritage. Every new product is inspired by our cultural heritage. The Kartell Museum stimulate us to look to the past in order to lay the foundations for a prosperous future. And that future is certain to be a step forwards, a step ahead of the rest, and a step in the direction we want to travel. There can be no future without memory. Kartell’s future is based on the experience of the founders, past experience, and on the many Kartell products that have been admired and purchased all over the world. Memory means keeping in our catalogue objects that have helped write the brand’s story and that are still selling well, but mixing them with new ideas too, with new editions in different materials and colours, or with projects that lie outside the traditional Kartell look but still reflect our industrial soul. The mission is to cultivate a new perspective on memory.

the DNA of kartell

FUTURE

Kartell looks ahead by collecting what has been done up to now and continuing with his spirit of continuous research, working with his team of designers, expanding the approach to the catalogue. Kartell is increasingly attentive to the management of the sales spaces and the shop windows that, distributed throughout the world, must completely represent the overall vision of the brand. The future is already present and encourages us to continue working with passion, enthusiasm and rigor.At the heart is our family, of which the third generation is already playing a key role in management in order to be a global family business founded on ethics, which is the basis of every Kartell action.

the history

Founded by Giulio Castelli in 1949, in the early years Kartell took its first steps to produce the distinctive design that would come to epitomise the 'Made in Italy’ label.

In 1988 the company was acquired by Claudio Luti, the son-in-law of Giulio and Anna Castelli who had a background in fashion. The sensibility that Luti had developed under the Versace fashion house, with a love for perfection and tasteful design, heralded a new start for the brand. Luti sought collaborations with designers and architects like Philippe Starck, Ron Arad, Antonio Citterio, Ferruccio Laviani, Piero Lissoni, Patricia Urquiola, Mario Bellini, Alberto Meda and Vico Magistretti, who were responsible for those products that soon came to symbolise the brand. The fresh approach to materials dictated the new direction and brought real turning points for Kartell: studying, manipulating and enriching materials resulted in an end product which offered unprecedented characteristics.

The turning point came when, after years of research and thanks to a revolutionary innovation, in 1999 Kartell became the first company in the world to use polycarbonate to produce furnishing items. The result was La Marie, a completely transparent chair with modern, minimalist design which paved the way for Louis Ghost, still one of Kartell’s best sellers today. From this moment on, the company developed and explored the theme of transparency that has made it unique and original, continuing its research into the study of surfaces and shapes, starting with the use of new technologies and high-performance materials that have made it possible to create products like nothing ever created before.

KARTELL TODAY

Kartell today is a company that looks to the future, with Claudio Luti sharing the helm with his children Lorenza and Federico, who joined the firm from different professional backgrounds following their university studies. Today Lorenza is Marketing and Retail Director and Federico Commercial Director.

Today, Kartell is the perfect synthesis of its past and its ongoing projection into the future, combining the great heritage of corporate culture with the desire to explore new paths and engage in new experiences dominated by an intense passion for creation.

KNOW HOW

Kartell is known for its industrial production of the finest quality design objects, with remarkable technological content, Made in Italy. From the choice of innovative and certified materials, to the use of advanced technologies, Kartell is able to guarantee users of its products a collection in which technology, quality, resistance and durability are part of its DNA.
The high level of stability and repeatability of the processes allows the minimisation of inefficiencies and waste, favouring productions with low polluting residues that are always fully recyclable.

The Retail

Kartell flagship stores amplify the brand through special displays that change between four and six times per year, plus dedicated events staged during the week of the Salone del Mobile fair. The company’s retail network of directly owned and franchise stores is constantly expanding, with ever-strategic openings in countries consolidating its global leadership. Kartell’s strategy has always worked on multiple channels, offering a consistent online and offline purchasing experience. The brand currently boasts 150 flagship stores, 850 Kartell spaces and 1500 clients throughout the world.

Awards

Over the years, Kartell has won a series of important international awards, including nine Compassi d'Oro. Founded in 1999, the Kartell Museum, keeper of the brand's history, won the Guggenheim Enterprise & Culture Award for best business museum in 2000.
Claudio Luti, president of Kartell, was awarded the prestigious Red Dot: Personality Prize, the recognition that, from 2020, has been awarded to the most authoritative international entrepreneurial figures in the design industry.