Achille Castiglioni, Italian Reference

Achille Castiglioni occupy a special place in Italian industrial design! Graduating in architecture at the Politecnico in 1944, the young Achille Castiglioni joined the firm owned by his two brothers, Livio and Pier Giacomo. Despite the departure of the first in 1952 and until the death of the latter in 1968 – with whom he experienced one of his most productive periods – the designer collaborated with prestigious brands and producers. Flos, Zanotta, Alessi: it was for them that Achille Castiglioni designed new ready-mades at Piazza Castello 27, which earned him a comparison with Marcel Duchamp. A lover of assembly and associations between various objects, the Mezzadro stool (tractor seat + chromed steel foot) or the Toio floor lamp (car headlamp + telescopic pole + transformer) were products of his imagination and a witness to his collaborative work with Pier Giacomo. A pioneer, he was also one of the first to approach everyday life and the use of objects in it by placing the emphasis on maximising functionality with the concept of re-design. With no aesthetic intent, this approach aims to improve the functionality of existing pieces. A revolution that contributed to the rise of post-war design in Italy, forever marking the history of names as evocative as those of its cult lights..: Arco, Parentesi, Taccia and even Snoopy. Discover and re-discover him in these The Socialite Family reports!