Designer: Fabio Novembre

Biography
He was born in Lecce in 1966 and graduated in architecture from Milan Polytechnic in 1992. in 1994 he opened his own studio, which immediately became an international reference point for architecture. Over the years, collaborations with the most important Italian design companies have alternated and his work has been recognized and published worldwide for his visionary approach. Since 2019, Fabio Novembre has been Artistic Director of Driade, Scientific Director of the Domus Academy and member of the Scientific Committee of the Triennale di Milano Museum of Design.
Atelier Catoir

Biography
In collaboration with experienced craftsmen, Studio Catoir works closely with its clients to create bespoke interiors and furniture. Studio Catoir specializes in private homes and boutique hotels, designing unique spaces that respond to the personality and unique requirements of their clients. Their creations reinterpret traditional materials and techniques, combining long-standing craftsmanship with innovative designs. Elisa and Michael met in 1997 and founded Studio Catoir together in 2006. Their complementary approaches are key to their creative practice.
Ludovica + Roberto Palomba

Biography
Ludovica + Roberto Palomba, architects and designers, founded Palomba Serafini Associati in 1994. Roberto Palomba has been a professor at the Milan Polytechnic, Industrial Design program, since 2003. Palomba Serafini Associati deals with architecture, interior design, industrial design, exhibition design, graphic design, communication and media strategies, marketing consultancy. Palomba Serafini Associati pursues various interior design and architecture projects all over the world.
Philipp Starck

Biography
Philippe Starck, a world-famous creator with a multifaceted inventiveness, always focused on the essentials, his vision: creation, in whatever form, must improve the lives of as many people as possible. This philosophy has made him one of the pioneers and central figures of the term „democratic design“. With his prolific work in all areas, from everyday products to architecture and marine and aerospace technology, he is constantly pushing the boundaries and requirements of design and has become one of the most visionary and renowned creators on the contemporary international scene.
Antonia Astori

Biography
Antonia Astori founded Driade in 1968 together with her brother Enrico and Adelaide Acerbi. In addition to furniture design, she played the role of project coordinator and built up a unique network of furniture design, exhibitions and stores. She designed the precursor containment systems Oikos I, Oikos II and Pantos. Antonia Astori combines these systems with the design of individual pieces that always focus on the feeling of living. With this in mind, she designed Aforismi, the San Souci Collection and later the Virginia desk and the Eileen bookcase.
Enzo Mari

Biography
Enzo Mari, born in Novara in 1932, works in various fields, from graphics to design and architecture. in 2002, the Faculty of Architecture at Milan Polytechnic awarded him an honorary doctorate in industrial design. His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the Milan Triennale, Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, the MIC of Faenza, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, the MoMA in New York and the Milan Triennale. He has been awarded many prizes for the quality of his research, including four Compasso d’Oro awards.
Nanda Vigo

Biography
After graduating from the Institut Polytechnique in Lausanne and completing an important internship in San Francisco, Nanda Vigo opened her own studio in Milan in 1959, where she worked as an artist, architect and designer. From 1959 she attended the studio of Lucio Fontana. Between 1965 and 1968 she worked with Gio‘ Ponti and created the Casa Sotto la Foglia in Malo (VI). in 1976 she won the 1st St. Gobain Prize for glass design. Vigo’s work is permanently on display in the Triennale Design Museum. In her activity, Vigo works with an interdisciplinary relationship between art, design, architecture and environment, she is involved in many projects both as an architect and as an artist.
Borek Sipek

Biography
Borek Sipek (1949-2016) studied interior design at the School of Arts and Crafts in Prague. In 1983, he founded his design workshop in Amsterdam, the starting point of his forays between East and West. It was during these years that he began his collaboration with Driade, designing furniture, objects and ideas of evocative originality. A poet of tradition grafted onto the unequivocal restlessness of a modern sensibility, Sipek has begun systematic explorations into the infinite universes of craftsmanship, experimenting with techniques and materials with ancient roots.
Analogia Project

Biography
Analogia Project is the result of the collaboration between designer Andrea Mancuso and architect Emilia Serra. after graduating in italy, they met at the royal college of art in London in 2010. andrea mancuso is a designer with many years of experience in design products, both in one-off and large-scale production. his visual language is based on irony and surprise. Emilia Serra is an architect and researcher at rca, focusing on combining digital 3D technologies with traditional craft skills to support their enhancement.
Ed Annink

Biography
Ed Annink (1957-2012). he studied jewelry design, interior architecture and industrial design. As a partner in the ontwerpwerk office for design, he is responsible for product, exhibition and event design. He is co-founder and chairman of the foundation products of Imagination, which initiates and organizes international design projects and publications. He is a consultant to several national and international design institutes and design courses. Author of the book „Bright Minds, Beautiful Ideas“.
Ron Arad

Biography
Ron Arad attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Jerusalem and settled in London in 1974, where he quickly developed artistic and cultural interests outside architecture. His work is increasingly oriented towards design and the non-rhetorical artistic use of materials. in 1981, he founded the design agency One Off with Dennis Groves and Caroline Thorman, which made its successful debut with a set of tubular steel furniture. As a sculptor and craftsman, he produces furniture that is emotional and sensual as well as aggressively light and practical.
Michi Astori

Biography
Michi Astori began working as a designer and interior architect together with Antonia Astori. He soon moved to Paris, where he collaborated with Philippe Starck on numerous projects for Driade. Back in Milan, he opened his own studio and contributed to the birth of the Atlantis collection for Driade, a company with which he began an ongoing collaboration. From his travels in Asia emerge products that offer a suggestive balance between openly oriental inspirations and western performance standards, ancient craftsmanship and industrial production methods.
Sebastian Bergne

Biography
Sebastian Bergne’s work is characterized by his highly personal approach, with a pursuit of innovation arising from a subtle combination of cultural reference, humour, functional enhancement and close contact with materials and manufacturing technologies. His work has been widely published, exhibited, included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York) and the Design Museum (London) and awarded numerous international design prizes.
Philipp Bestenheider

Biography
Philippe Bestenheider holds a degree in architecture from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. From 2001 to 2006 he was senior designer at Patricia Urquiola’s office in Milan before opening his own studio. He has taught at the Royal College of Art in London, at the FHNW Basel and at the Domus Academy. His projects combine a rational and logical approach with a pronounced sensitivity for shapes and colors. He likes to start his designs with simple but strong ideas, which he develops organically to obtain new solutions that are both familiar and surprising.
Big Bjarke Ingels Group

Biography
BIG is a Copenhagen, New York and London based group of architects, designers, urbanists, landscape experts, interior and product designers, researchers and inventors. The firm is currently involved in a wide range of projects across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. BIG’s architecture is born from a careful analysis of the constant evolution of modern life and global economic flows and communication technologies, all of which together demand new ways of architectural and urban organization.
Francesco BolĂs

Biography
Francesco BolĂs is an architectural and interior photographer. His special interest in architecture, interiors, urban and industrial landscapes has led him to an ongoing and continuous collaboration with Driade, for whom he has curated graphic design and photographic projects. Throughout his career he has reproduced and documented travel, portraits, architecture, sculptures and installations. in 2013, he presented his first design project, Miro, a reflective screen for driade that merges photographs into one object.
Giorgio Bonaguro

Biography
After studying mechanical engineering in Modena, Giorgio Bonaguro completed his training with a double master’s degree in Industrial and Interior Design at the Polytechnic Design School in Milan. He has collaborated with various studios such as AMDL (Michele de Lucchi) or Marco Romanelli, where he learned the process of product development. He continues his personal research and collaboration with other studios and companies in various fields including furniture, industrial, interior, packaging and lighting design.
Oscar and Gabriele Buratti

Biography
Gabriele Buratti and Oscar Buratti form the architecture and design studio BURATTI ARCHITETTI. There are several levels of the project on which the studio works transversally, from the architecture of buildings and urban areas to the interior design of buildings, from the design of furniture and objects to exhibitions and showrooms, in an intense and varied professional career in which themes, places and typologies, companies and people, materials and processing are intertwined, contaminating.
Linde Burkhardt

Biography
Artist and designer. Painting and drawing were integrated through installations that sought to rhythmize and structure space. The desire to design ceramics and the study of possible steel processing techniques led to an understanding of how it was possible to combine steel and ceramics in a single project. The work with ceramics has as a reference point the production of single objects and objects for small and large series, as well as the use of ceramic techniques to create installations or interventions in the artistic field.
Giuseppe Chigiotti

Biography
Giuseppe Chigiotti works in the fields of design, architecture, planning and urban regeneration. He was a professor at Milan Polytechnic and has published essays and books on the history of furniture design and housing. He worked as a designer and began collaborating with Driade, writing texts for the „Driade Furniture Manuals“, author of the book „Un viaggio nell’abitare Driade“ and co-author with Adelaide Acerbi of the book „Mondo degli oggetti“ (World of Objects). He has designed tableware and lamps for Driade, as well as the Hoff sofa, the Ping table and the Mak trolley.
Lluis Clotet

Biography
Llouis Clotet graduated in architecture in Barcelona in 1965 and founded the Per design studio with his friends Pep Bonet, Cristian Cirici and Oscar Tusquets. United by a common cause, the „four musketeers“ of the Catalan New Wave created a witty, intellectual, refreshingly ironic architecture that embodied the inevitable contradictions of Spain’s multifaceted critical climate at the time. He was one of the founding partners of BD Ediciones de Diseño, the company for which he designs internationally recognized furniture and objects.
Carlo Colombo

Biography
Carlo Colombo is internationally recognized as one of the most important Italian architects and designers. His work initially focused on design and interiors, but also extended to construction in Italy and abroad. Carlo Colombo is a professional who creates projects of high artistic value, as evidenced by several awards that have marked his career. Today, the studio deals with large-scale design all over the world, from interior design to architecture, with A++.
Borromeo & De Silva

Biography
Borromeo & De Silva is a company founded in Milan in 2011 by Carlo Borromeo, Fabio De Silva and Filippo Sgalbazzi. The studio deals with product and car design, the development of graphic communication and the production itself, from research and development to full industrialization. The main characteristics of the company are the extensive knowledge of industrial processes, excellent craftsmanship and the complex network of local and international suppliers that have allowed it to develop quickly and effectively.
Becchelli, Bortolani, Maffei

Biography
Fabio Bortolani began his design career with furniture and objects. in 2001 he was selected by Compasso d’Oro. Stefano Maffei has taught at the Politecnico of Milan, he is a researcher for the national research agency Sistema Design Italia, he is one of the co-founders of Minimo Design Consulting and the author of numerous books. Together with Fabio Bortolani and Walter Becchelli, he created the Ombra bookcase and the Erbale flower box for Driade. Some of their projects appear in the permanent design collections of major international museums.
Pietro Derossi

Biography
Pietro Derossi is an architect and professor of architectural design at the Politecnico University in Milan, he has taught at many foreign universities such as London, New York and Berlin. Derossi works in the urbanistic, architectural and design field; his architectural and design works are published in national and international magazines, in addition to the publication of many editorial works. in 1995, together with Paolo Derossi and Davide Derossi, he founded Derossi & Co.
Xie Dong

Biography
Xie Dong was born in Beijing in 1967. After graduation, she began to try different kinds of ceramic materials and techniques to express her art. She ventured into other forms of art creation with different materials such as fabric, paper and leather. She works essentially on phenomena such as heaviness and lightness, on the dynamics of forms, on elusive elements and through a particular and complex technical process she can bend and curl the ceramic. Her approach to design is that of an artist who is able to translate into poetry great manual skills linked to ancient Chinese craftsmanship.
Rodolfo Dordoni

Biography
Rodolfo Dordoni was born in Milan, where he graduated in architecture from the Politecnico in 1979. His work focuses on architecture and industrial design. He also designs temporary exhibition facilities and buildings. in 1995, he began a long collaboration with fashion brands, projecting their sales areas and showrooms worldwide. He does not leave out private building projects and works on apartments in Italy and abroad. Driade is one of the many brands for which he produces industrial design.
Faye Toogood

Biography
Faye Toogood is a British designer. Her furniture and objects reflect a preoccupation with materiality and experimentation. All her pieces are handmade by small manufacturers and traditional craftsmen, with an honesty towards the rawness and irregularity of the chosen material. Her highly sculptural work, which shows an astute respect for the past, derives from pure self-expression and instinct. Toogood’s objects are grouped into her trademark numbered „assemblages“.
Front Design

Biography
Sofia Lagerkvist and Anna Lindgren form the Swedish design group Front. Their work emerges from joint discussions, explorations and experiments, and the two work together throughout the process, from initial ideas to the final product. The objects designed by Front often tell the viewer a story about the design process, the material from which they are made. In their work you often find a story about the creation process, conventions and expectations or about the material with which they were created.
Naoto Fukasawa

Biography
After working at IDEO in the United States, Fukasawa was head of the IDEO office in Tokyo until 2003, when he founded his studio NAOTO FUKASAWA DESIGN. With his designs dedicated to simplicity and sublime beauty, Fukasawa works with world-renowned brands and consults for major international manufacturers. He has won numerous awards for projects that are part of the permanent collections of some of the world’s most important museums. in 2007 he was awarded the title „Honorary Royal Designer for Industry“ (Royal Society of Arts, UK).
Maurizio Galante & Tal Lancman

Biography
in 2003, designer Maurizio Galante and trend researcher and designer Tal Lancman founded INTERWARE. Their vision crosses various disciplines: fashion, design, interior design, architecture and landscape design. The duo takes up „tradition“ with a completely new vision. The process translates into a multi-faceted concept with a subtle balance between pragmatic and irrational. Their philosophy is to offer a range of objects with an expressive, fun and stimulating design that keep company with their pleasant presence.
Ron Gilad

Biography
born in Tel Aviv in 1972, he moved to New York in 2001 where he opened his studio, exploring the logical and the absurd. Gilad’s hybrid objects combine material with aesthetic play. His works deal with the relationship between the object and its function and question our perception. The works vary from one-offs to limited editions and production pieces, have no „expiration date“ and can be found in both public and private collections worldwide. in 2013, he was named Designer of the Year by both Wallpaper and Elle DĂ©cor. His designs have also won numerous awards.
Konstantin Grcic

Biography
He was born in Munich in 1965. After training at the John Makepeace School for Wood Craftsmen and studying design at the Royal College of Art in London, he opened his own studio in Munich in 1991. Today, Konstantin Grcic Design lives in Berlin. The studio is active in various fields ranging from industrial design projects, exhibition design and architectural collaborations. Many of his products have won prestigious awards, including the prestigious Compasso d’Oro, and are part of the permanent collections of the world’s most important design museums.
Gordon Guillaumier

Biography
After graduating in Industrial Design from the IED in Milan, Gordon began his career in the studio of architect and designer Rodolfo Dordoni. He then worked with Driade and followed the development of the Atlantide / Dhouse project with Enrico Astori. in 2002, he founded his own studio in Milan, which focuses on design consultancy, product design and interior design. Gordon’s products have received several awards and prizes, including the Wallpaper Design Award 2014 and the Compasso d’Oro 2016.
Toyo Ito

Biography
After graduating from Tokyo University in 1965, he founded his own studio Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects in 1971. He has received numerous awards, including the Golden Lion of the International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, the Royal Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Pritzker Architecture Prize. In the 1970s, he tried to erase the conventional meaning of his works through minimalist tactics, only to develop a lightness in an architecture that resembles air and wind.
Kazuyo Komoda

Biography
She graduated in design from Musashino University of Fine Arts in Tokyo, where she began her career in industrial design and interior design. Since ’89 she has lived and worked in Milan, where she opened her studio. She is engaged in the realization of interior design projects, product design and as a consultant specialized in colors, materials and surfaces. Her projects are permanent collections of museums such as the Triennale di Milano, the Museum of Applied Arts Cologne, the Museo Maguma and the collection of the Musahsino Art University Library.
Laudani & Romanelli

Biography
The architects Marta Laudani and Marco Romanelli have been working together in their associated offices in Rome and Milan since 1988. They work in the fields of interior design and architecture. in 2001 they planned the restoration of the „Museum of Roman Civilization“ in Rome on behalf of Fiat-Engineering. For both of them, their design work was always accompanied by an intensive critical examination of the themes of living and design: Marta Laudani taught at the Faculty of Architecture of the Sapienza in Rome; Marco Romanelli was editor of the magazines Domus and Abitare.
Lievore & Altherr

Biography
Alberto Lievore and Jeannette Altherr were born in 2016 as Lievore Altherr Molina after a 25-year journey together. The Barcelona-based studio specializes in product design and development, strategic consulting, artistic and creative direction and ephemeral architecture for internationally recognized design companies. Lievore Altherr develops projects according to an established strategy: a creative concept that combines product design and communication.
Elliot Littmann

Biography
An unrepentant cultural wanderer halfway between the creative bliss of the new world and the intellectual restlessness of the old continent, Littmann moves quickly from Washington to Vienna, dividing himself impartially between New York and Milan, between the commitment of the critic-author and the constructive application on the subject of furniture – structure. Like a sculptor, Littmann formalizes function by configuring objects that are useful for living but also fascinating to look at, three-dimensional prostheses of a virtual universe based on the descriptive magic of geometry.
Vittorio Locatelli

Biography
Graduated in Architecture at the Polytechnic of Milan, a work more closely linked to architecture and design, which has developed mainly in interior design and exhibition design, alongside a „workshop“ activity that ranges from decoration to illustration, from graphics to painting in the strict sense. The collaboration with Driade dates back to the early 90s and responds to the company’s multiple activities with the creation of objects, the design of exhibition stands, layouts for showrooms and events and the production of catalogs.
Xaver Lust
Biography
Since 1990, he has dedicated himself to the design and construction of furniture and accessories aimed at industrial production, based on the combination of functionality and beauty, high-tech and high-touch. Convinced that innovation plays a crucial role and must also include the iconographic aspect of the finished product, he pursues the goal of timeless design in both his work on finished furniture and interior design projects. He has received dozens of awards, including a special mention for the Compasso d’Oro.
Lievore, Altherr, Molina

Biography
Studio Lievore Altherr Molina consists of Alberto Lievore, Jeannette Altherr and Manel Molina. The studio is dedicated to industrial design, consulting and artistic direction for various companies. Known for its interior design projects, they also develop interior design, packaging and industrial design projects. The firm has received numerous national and international awards and recognitions for their work. They have created personal shows and exhibitions. Their work is regularly published in all domestic and foreign trade journals.
Paola Navone

Biography
After graduating, she worked as an art director at Centrokappa, dealing with image development, advertising tools, showrooms and special events. During this period she collaborated with Alessandro Mendini for the magazine „Modo“. From 1995 to 1999 she worked with Driade for Driade. Architect, designer, interior designer, event designer, passionate decorator of rigid surfaces, Paola Navone likes to describe herself as curious and cosmopolitan. Her eclectic activities blend the culture and flavors of the southern hemisphere with typical western tastes.
Neri & Hu

Biography
Founded in 2004 by partners Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu, Neri&Hu Design and Research Office is an interdisciplinary architectural practice based in Shanghai, China. Neri&Hu works internationally and offers services in the fields of architecture, interior design, master planning, graphics and product design. Neri&Hu is currently working on projects in many countries and consists of multicultural staff speaking over 30 different languages. The diversity of the team reinforces a core vision for the practice: to respond to a global worldview that incorporates overlapping design disciplines for a new paradigm in architecture. Neri&Hu’s location is purposeful. As Shanghai is considered the new global frontier, Neri&Hu is at the center of this contemporary chaos. The cultural, urban, and historical contexts act as a starting point for the architectural explorations contained in each project. As new sets of contemporary problems related to buildings now transcend traditional architecture, the practice challenges the traditional boundaries of architecture to incorporate other complementary disciplines. Neri&Hu strongly believes in research as a design tool, as each project brings its own unique contextual issues. A critical examination of the specifics of program, site, function and history is essential to the creation of rigorous design work. Based on research, Neri&Hu aims to anchor its work on the dynamic interaction of experience, detail, material, form and light, rather than conforming to a formulaic style. The ultimate meaning behind each project stems from how the built forms create meaning through their physical representations. Neri&Hu has been featured extensively in the press around the world and their design has been recognized with a number of prestigious international design awards. UK Wallpaper* announced them as Designer of the Year 2014. They were inducted into the US Interior Design Hall of Fame in 2013. They were selected as one of the 40 among 40 prominent designers shaping Hong Kong and Greater China.
Philipp Nigro

Biography
French designer, works between France and Italy. His work is characterized by a combination of experimental research and pragmatic engagement with the „savoir-faire“ of the clients with whom he works. Over the years, these experiences, enriched by the combination of French-Italian culture and various design challenges, have enabled him to move between works of different types and scales, to work with companies of different sizes and activities and to respond to the many aspects of design.
Park Associati

Biography
Founded in Milan in 2000 by Filippo Pagliani and Michele Rossi, Park Associati is an architectural practice that operates on a large scale. The studio associates its name with concrete and consistent projects, without losing sight of the compositional and aesthetic dimension. Innovation, research and a creative process open to collaboration lead Park Associati to deal with design areas ranging from master plan to housing, from urban retrofitting to product design.
Lucidi & Pevere

Biography
Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere began developing their projects together in 2003 and founded their studio LucidiPevere in 2006. Using unusual techniques and aesthetic means, they face constant challenges to develop new product forms. Their products have won important awards such as Red Dot Design, IF Design, Good Design, Compasso d’Oro Honorable Mentions and Best of the Year Award. They have participated in various exhibitions in Europe and the United States and have appeared in various publications.
Lorenzo Petrantoni

Biography
Petrantoni is a multifaceted and surprising artist, illustrator and art director. He has graced the covers of the world’s biggest magazines at least once, from the New York Times to NewsWeek, from Vogue to Style Magazine, GQ and Vanity Fair. His work is exhibited in some of the world’s most important contemporary art galleries and has earned him prestigious awards, including the V&A Illustration Awards, the London International Awards, the New York Festival and American Illustration. After studying graphic design in Milan, he moved to France to work as an art director at Young & Rubicam. Back in Italy, after a period in the biggest communication agencies, he gave up advertising to devote himself entirely to illustration.
Christoph Pillet

Biography
From 1986 to 1988 he worked with Martine Bedin in Milan and from 1988 to 1993 with Philippe Starck in Paris. He has been working as an independent designer since May 1993. His activities range from product design to interior design, from architecture to interior decoration. He was named Creator of the Year in 1995 and has exhibited his work at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Lucerne and many other prestigious venues.
Giuseppe Ragazini

Biography
Ragazzini, an Italian painter, illustrator and visual artist, has developed an original technique of animation and image metamorphosis, which he creates live at concerts and theater performances. His image projections have accompanied performances in some of Italy’s most important theaters such as the Piccolo Teatro in Milan and La Fenice in Venice. He exhibits at various shows in Italy and abroad and has been among the finalists of some of the most recognized international animation festivals. in 2018 he invents and creates „Mixerpiece“, a creative and educational application for children (and not only) that wins several international awards.
Paolo Rizzatto

Biography
Paolo Rizzato was born in Milan in 1941 and graduated in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano. In his studio he works in the fields of architecture, interior architecture and design. He has held courses and conferences at various universities; his works have been published in magazines and catalogs in Italy and abroad; his projects have been presented at seminars, architecture and design exhibitions and are included in the permanent collections of many museums and foundations. He has received numerous awards, including five „Compasso d’Oro“ awards in 1981, 1989, 1995, 2008 and 2011.
Michel Röjkind

Biography
Michel Rojkind was born in Mexico City, where he studied architecture and urban planning. in 2002 he founded Rojkind Arquitectos, a studio focused on design, tactical and experimental innovation. His aim is to design architectural and urban solutions that go beyond mere functionality and become holistic experiences. Projects that connect complexity on a deeper level and have a positive impact on our society and the environment. Rojkind has received several international awards, for example, he was named one of the „300 Most Influential Mexican Leaders“ by Mexican Leaders magazine (2017 and 2018).
Italo Rota

Biography
He was born in Milan in 1953, where he graduated from the Politecnico. He moved to Paris at the end of the 1980s, where he signed the renovation of the Museum of Modern Art at the Centre Pompidou (with Gae Aulenti), the new spaces of the French School at the Cour Carré in the Louvre, the lighting of Notre Dame Cathedral and along the Seine, and the renovation of the center of Nantes. Studio Italo Rota handles the complexity of major international projects, from product design to the design of large urban areas. Italo Rota has been awarded several prizes, including gold medals for Italian architecture for public spaces and Italian architecture for culture and leisure.
Elena Salmistraro

Biography
Elena Salmistraro (Milan, 1983) graduated in Industrial Design at Milan Politecnico in 2008; the following year she founded her own professional studio where she worked on product design and architectural projects. Among the priorities of her creations, the attention to detail and the harmonious search for forms pursued in anthropomorphism and primitivism stand out. Creator of a highly recognizable style, she is interested in developing research that crosses the border between illustration, design and fine art, through which she intends to codify an expressive language characterized by a strong extroversion and the desire to stimulate emotions. She works as a designer and artist/illustrator for the most prestigious companies in the sector. Over the years, her work has been selected for various international exhibitions.
Kazuyo Sejima

Biography
Kazuyo Sejima was born in Japan, where she graduated in 1979 and completed her master class in 1981. After working at Studio Toyo Ito & Associates from 1981 to 1987, she founded Kazuyo Sejima & Associates. His first works already show the ability to translate the technique and materials of modern architecture into a poetic key, which is the main characteristic of his work. Common characteristics are the rigor in the definition of elementary spaces and volumes, the preference for materials such as glass, aluminum, metal mesh and plastic surfaces.
Mann Sing

Biography
Mann Singh was born in India in 1977. His projects reflect contemporary India: a mixture of tradition and modernity, craftsmanship and high technology. „Mann Singh comes from far away, from Sikh lands in North India. His design is not globalized. Forms and materials belong to his culture, but they take on a universal meaning, like the woven silver baskets, the bowls made of stiffened leaves that can be lifted up with sacred gestures and the tree candlesticks.“
Kateryna Sokolova

Biography
The Ukrainian industrial designer Kateryna Sokolova was born in 1984. She graduated from the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts and completed an internship at the German Design University „Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle“. She is the co-founder and creative director of the NOOM brand and SOKOLOVA Design Studio and works in a variety of disciplines: furniture, lighting, hardware, electronics. Among the European design exhibitions and competitions that have awarded Kateryna the Red Dot Design Award 2015. Today Kateryna is an internationally established designer based in Kiev, working with European and Asian companies.
Giandomenico Sozzi

Biography
After studying art at the DAMS in Bologna, he moved to Florence, where he began painting in Luciano Bartolini’s studio and where he had his first exhibition at the Galleria Schema in 1985. From then on, he moved first to Berlin and then to New York, where he had a studio for several years. in 1992 he moved to Milan, where in 2002 he was proposed to realize a project for Driade: „MOI“ was born, an inscription in gold leaf that crosses the twelve plates of the series The White Snow, destined to be shared or better shared with food companions.
Fredrikson Stallard

Biography
Patrik Fredrikson and Ian Stallard began their collaboration in 1995 and have since been recognized internationally as leading designers of the British avant-garde. They are known for their ability to translate their creativity into simple yet highly emotive products and designs. Some of their masterpieces have been acquired by the French National Art Collection and the Victoria and Albert Museum and are on display at the Design Museum in London, MoMA and the Museum of Art and Design in New York.
Philippe Starck & Eugeni Quitllet

Biography
Philippe Starck, a world-renowned creator with a multifaceted inventiveness, always focused on the essentials, his vision: creation, in whatever form, must improve the lives of as many people as possible. This philosophy has made him one of the pioneers and central figures of the term „democratic design“. With his prolific work in all areas, from everyday products to architecture and marine and aerospace technology, he is constantly pushing the boundaries and requirements of design and has become one of the most visionary and renowned creators on the contemporary international scene.
Philippe Starck with D. Sugasawa

Biography
Philippe Starck, a world-famous creator with a multifaceted wealth of invention, always focused on the essentials, his vision: creation, in whatever form, must improve the lives of as many people as possible. This philosophy has made him one of the pioneers and central figures of the term „democratic design“. With his prolific work in all areas, from everyday products to architecture and marine and aerospace engineering, he continues to push the boundaries and requirements of design, becoming one of the most visionary and renowned creators on the contemporary international scene.
Matteo Thun & Antonio RodrĂguez

Biography
Matteo Thun was born in Bolzano in 1952 and graduated in architecture from the University of Florence in 1975. in 1981 he co-founded Sottsass Associati and the Memphis Group. in 2001, he founded Matteo Thun + Partners, a multicultural architecture and design studio based in Milan with a branch in Shanghai. The company operates internationally and develops hospitality, residential, headquarters, retail, urban and master planning projects. Antonio Rodriguez has been a partner of Matteo Thun since 2003. He develops architecture, interior, styling and product design projects with a special focus on the Asian market.
Oskar Tusquets

Biography
Architect by training, designer by vocation, painter by passion and writer by conviction, Oscar Tusquets Blanca is the prototype of the integral artist. His creations are often selected by important exhibitions and some of his works are in the permanent collections of museums around the world, such as the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, the MoMA in New York, the DalĂ Museum in Figueres, the Vitra Design Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Patricia Urquiola

Biography
Patrizia Urquiola was born in Oviedo, Spain. She studied at the Faculdad de Arquitectura de Madrid and the Politecnico di Milano, where she graduated with a thesis under the supervision of Achille Castiglioni. in 1993, he opened a partner studio with M. De Renzio and E. Ramerino, which dealt with architectural design, interiors, showrooms and restaurants. From 1996 to 2000 she coordinated the design group of Studio Lissoni Associati. in 2001, she founded her own studio, focusing mainly on design, furnishings and architecture.
Tokujin Yoshioka

Biography
Born in 1967, he worked with Shiro Kuramata and Issey Miyake and founded his own studio in 2000. He is active in the fields of design, architecture and contemporary art and is recognized worldwide for his work on the theme of light and nature. The glass bench exhibited at the MusĂ©e d’Orsay called „Water Block“ and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch are some of his many masterpieces. Many of his works are selected as part of the permanent collections in world-famous museums, including the MoMA, the MusĂ©e National d’Art Moderne and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
DRIADE HISTORY
1968 Driade is born, the aesthetic laboratory is constantly evolving

Driade is born in 1968 thanks to the joint efforts of a founding group formed by Enrico Astori, the artistic director who defines the product and communication policy from the beginning; Antonia Astori, a designer who is also the author of the company’s architectural image; Adelaide Acerbi is responsible for the brand’s image and communication. Since the beginning, Driade has been synonymous with the quality of its creative offer and an industrial policy strongly oriented towards innovation, a synergy of three key design elements: Project planning, execution and advertising. To produce design furniture as individual objects of art according to the rules of collecting. This is how Driade develops as an art factory.
1968 – 1973 The debut: Oikos and the first design icons

The beginning of Driade coincides with the presentation of the „Driade 1“ container system in 1968, which was to lay the foundation for an interpretation of the typical „container“ as an active tool for interior design. With this silent revolution, Antonia Astori brought design back into architecture: the closet became a wall and, thanks to „Oikos“ (1972), a partition wall. It is a global furniture system that allows you to build an infinite piece of furniture, an interface between before and after. The history of Driade in the early years is strictly linked to Italian design and includes the professional certainty of Giotto Stoppino and Rodolfo Bonetto, the moral revolution of Enzo Mari, the artistic and behavioral revolution of Nanda Vigo, the classic perfection of Massimo and Lella Vignelli,
1982 Alessandro Mendini: the beginning of a great collaboration

The collaboration between Driade and Alessandro Mendini, who designs the Sabrina armchair, a strong and unmistakable symbol, begins in 1982.
1982 Achille Castiglioni, another great master of Italian design, collaborates with Driade

Another great master who will write the history of Italian design in the world begins his collaboration with the brand: Achille Castiglioni with the Sancarlo armchair, a synthesis of ergonomics and design.
1984 An icon is born: Costes by Philippe Starck

There are objects that are generally recognized as icons. One of these objects is the Costes armchair, which in 1984 marked the beginning of the partnership between Philippe Starck and Driade, as well as the consecration of the designer, who was previously unknown in Italy. Designed for the Parisian café of the same name, which has since disappeared, it owes its timeless success to the absoluteness of its forms: an embracing structure in dark wood with three strongly inclined legs.
1984 – 1988 Stark and the international turnaround

In the 1980s, Driade takes an international turn towards a multiplication of languages. The spirit and initiative of Enrico Astori, aimed at discovering new talents in the world of design, lead to a collaboration with the young Philippe Starck. From this moment on, other illustrious collaborations begin with Tusquets, Clotet, Littmann, Ron Arad, Sipek, Toyo Ito, Chipperfield, Sejima, Pawson, Bellini, who together with Mari and Antonia Astori brought the history of Driade to life, a kaleidoscope of languages that reflects the complexity evolution of trends in the world of design.
1988 Borek Sipek – Les Follies and the new collection The Art of Objects

In the 1980s, Driade was the first furniture company to offer a catalog of objects that complement and enrich living spaces. Driade’s catalog of objects is unique, thanks to the eclecticism and transversality of the collections that animate it. It is a story that initially identifies with that of Borek Sipek, a Bohemian artist who developed an original neo-baroque language of blown glass, silver and precious woods, which he elaborated over the years with Driade. The different languages of the object designers who soon joined Sipek – such as Mari, Tusquets, Lovegrove, Antonia Astori, Laudani and Romanelli, to name but a few – led Driade, through the Driadekosmo project, to become the multi-faceted company we know.
1989 Toyo Ito: the Suki & Uki collection

Ito, a Japanese master of architecture, has proposed some extraordinary tests as a designer over the years. These include the Suki armchair and the Uki chaise longue, designed in 1987: mysterious objects to accommodate a double row of steel mesh separated by numerous springs. The first collection made entirely of wire mesh.
1991 – 1995 The art of the table comes to life

From the white of ceramics to glass, from silver to steel and gold to the use of the most vibrant colors such as blue and red, The Driades Art of the Table is a game of materials, shades and decorations. The protagonists of the collection are Antonia Astori’s table service The White Snow with all its shapes and decorations as a rough canvas on which the painter places his original feature, the Victoria cutlery by Oscar Tusquets and Miamiam by Philippe Starck, the glassware collector’s item by Borek Sipek .
1995 The Driade Store Collection

In the mid-90s, Driadestore is born, a collection of furniture and objects for everyday life conceived for young people, sharing refined design, streamlined manufacturing systems and idealistic quality and functionality. Confirming that experimenting with new shapes and new housing solutions is the vital soul of the company.
1996 The ingenious design of the Box Chair by Enzo Mari

The ingenious design of the Box chair, which can be easily assembled and purchased in a box, features a perforated seat in injection-molded polypropylene and a removable tubular metal structure. The solid and unfussy appearance of the chair, together with the choice of vibrant colors (including lemon yellow, bright orange and cobalt blue), make Box an instant hit, also because it fits perfectly into the current trend of disassembling furniture and delivering it packed in easily transportable containers.
2002 Experiments by Tokujin Yoshioka in outdoor furniture

In 2002, the Tokyo Pop collection marked the international debut of Tokujin Yoshioka, who is now considered one of the masters of contemporary design. The sofa, armchair and especially the daybed and stool forget the banality of rotational molding to become sculptures. Unforgettable and unusual shapes.
2007 A new collaboration with Naoto Fukusawa

If we were looking for a symbol to represent Japanese garden art, we would probably choose a stone (ishi in Japanese). Naoto Fukasawa develops a large puff precisely through a small river stone. A naturalistic form that is first tamed and then alienated with unnatural colors.
2008 The third Compasso d’oro for Driade: MT3 by Ron Arad
in 2008, Driade received the Compasso d’Oro for its MT3, a rocking chair designed by Ron Arad. A long study of industrial technology made it possible to produce the first two-tone piece of furniture using rotational molding. The two-phase introduction of mass-colored polyethylene powder distinguishes the embossed outer surface from the smooth inner surface, which is revealed by the final cutting of the sides, carried out with a numerically controlled five-axis machine. This project paved the way for an established rotational molding technique in the exterior sector.

2010 Nemo is born, designed by Fabio Novembre

Fabio Novembre uses furniture design to tell stories. Intense and captivating stories in which the human figure is often the protagonist. A figure capable of becoming abstract and universal, proposing a mythological beauty, as was the case in Greek art. Thus Nemo is born, an armchair head with classical features that, like a mask, conceals and at the same time reveals its inhabitant.
2011 – 2017 The Lou Family by Philippe Stark is born

The first born is Lou Read, 2011, the armchair with an organic, perhaps even anthropomorphic shape, completely upholstered in leather and hand-stitched. The unexpected comfort is given by the perfect ergonomics of the product. Lou Eat follows in 2016, the simplest and most versatile of the collection, a leather armchair designed as a seat for the dining room and also perfect as a single protagonist of spaces. Finally, 2017 is the year of Lou Speak, a swivel armchair, comfortable and enveloping. „When you sit on a Lou Speak, you are forced to raise the conversation level. Otherwise, your armchair looks more elegant than you do.“ Philippe Starck
2014 David Chipperfield – artistic director

Following the acquisition of Driade by the ItalianCreationGroup in 2013, David Chipperfield is appointed Art Director. During the two years of collaboration, the renowned architect contributes to strengthening brand awareness at an international level and guarantees a first redefinition of the values that have made Driade unique in the history of design.
2015 Zigzag: the redesign of the bookcase designed by Konstantin Grcic in 1996

Launched in 1996, Konstantin Grcic’s versatile ZigZag bookcase returns to the Driade collection after a redesign in terms of finishes and materials. Even 20 years later, the shelving structure remains unchanged, although it has been re-proposed in the metal parts in a range of new colors, including black, white, bronze and polished steel. Oak and American walnut are available for the two types of wooden shelves. Ideal for a freestanding location, it is available in two different heights.
2015 Driade outdoors with Elisa by Enzo Mari

The Elisa sofa, designed by Enzo Mari in the 70s, joins the Driade outdoor collection. Extremely comfortable thanks to the large and generous shapes of the polyurethane foam cushions, it is characterized by the essential design of the base, a slender steel structure with sled supports that make the whole elegant and light.
2016 Konstantin Grcic designs the Mingx family, winner of the Wallpaper* Design Award 2017

The design of the Mingx collection is based on the same tubular profile that inspired the ZigZag bookcase and develops into an extensive family of elements: seats, stools and tables that enter into a harmonious dialog with each other that also extends to the bookcase. The name Mingx clearly refers to the Ming Dynasty, which most influenced the progress of Chinese culture and made China the center of Eastern trade. The tables with American walnut top and tubular steel frame are offered in the cantilevered or flush version, as well as the desk and low table. The Mingx collection is also available in the outdoor version with table tops and bases in quartzite and sheet metal that have undergone a protective cataphoresis treatment.
50th anniversary of Driade in 2018

Driade was founded in 1968 by the Astori brothers and sisters, Enrico and Antonia, and Adelaide Acerbi Astori, as the result of a family intuition. Their quest for beauty and for exclusive, never ordinary products contributed to the sudden success of a breeding ground for design that was also and above all capable of conveying a glamorous, global image. After 50 years of trend-setting creativity, the brand has challenged itself to a Moon Mission / 50th Anniversary in 2018.
in 2018, Faye Toogood enters the Driade designer stage with Roly Poly

The distinctive, reassuringly chunky lines of Faye Toogood’s Roly Poly furniture collection become even more inviting in her new collaboration with Driade. The Italian design house’s latest line echoes the rounded, inviting shapes of their limited edition Assemblage No 4 series. The low seat has been complemented with upholstered cushions that nestle into its curved, shell-like shape; the collection also includes a new sofa that further explores the Roly-Poly aesthetic, highlighting the interplay between the graceful curve of the shell seat and the four strong and solid legs that support it.
ziqqurat is born in 2018. A project by DriadeLab, winner of the Wallpaper* Design Award 2019

What could a container look like today? DriadeLab took this question as the starting point for its research. The result is Ziqqurat, a cabinet made up of different boxes that, when stacked on top of each other, outline an ever-changing shape. This system, which is constructive in every respect, enables compositions in three different sizes that adapt to living spaces. It is therefore no coincidence that the inspiration for the ancient Egyptian pyramid, such a strong leitmotif of the project, was enough to give it its name. The shapes and volumes give this particular piece of furniture a unique character. The company presents the first project of DriadeLab, the research center and creative heart of the company. Forge of minds, DriadeLab brings together heterogeneous talents who work in an alchemy of languages and sensations
2019 Fabio Novembre, new Art Director

Driade selects Fabio Novembre as Art Director for the ItalianCreationGroup’s hottest brand. Fabio Novembre – the renowned Italian designer who has been creating iconic products for Driade’s collections for years – is now the company’s creative director and the ideal person. Versatility and experimentation, flair and charisma characterize fabio novembre and Driade, making them rebellious spirits in the global design scene. Two natural, unique representatives of the Italian lifestyle with a deep affinity. The 50th anniversary of Driade anticipates the future with the contribution of Fabio Novembre, student of Sottsass and Mendini, New York film student and space organizer, globetrotter, trendsetter and lover of beauty.
in 2019, the new Driade starts again with architects

On the occasion of the Salone del Mobile, Driade has decided to collaborate with three of the most important international architects. Together with Artistic Director Fabio Novembre, Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG, and Michel Rojkind of Rojkind Arquitectos have come to expand the brand’s wide range of designers. For the occasion, Michel Rojkind has created a leather and metal chaise longue that perfectly interprets his own Mexican origins. Bjarke Ingels, on the other hand, has developed a totem-like bookcase that recalls his design of buildings. Finally, with his new Italic armchair, Fabio Novembre has attempted to interpret Driade’s direction for the future with a single object: fast, fascinating and always in motion.
2020 Totem Shelf, designed by BIG, wins the Wallpaper* Design Award 2020

TOTEM SHELF, the project designed by BIG for Driade, won the Wallpaper* 2020 Design Award in the „Best Block Party“ category. This award, recognized by a magazine as prestigious, global and transversal as Wallpaper* and awarded by a jury made up of the most important names in the world of art, design and fashion, represents a perfect start to the new year for the brand.
2020 LOVE by Fabio Novembre: the new wardrobe that speaks of love

With its characteristic shape and everything to discover, the Love wardrobe is an expressive panel, a two-dimensional poster that speaks of love. Combining aesthetics and function, the lines become three-dimensional, the panel is extruded into a container and the letters emerge from the panel creating handles, versatile elements available in different colors and essences. „Love means blindly choosing each other, wrapped in a halo. Love is a faithful guardian of shared dreams, a container full of possibilities.“ Fabio Novembre
2021 BLACK IS THE NEW GREEN, the first 100% recycled capsule collection

Driade launches Black is the new Green, a capsule collection consisting of iconic chairs and armchairs such as Nemo by Fabio Novembre, Roly Poly by Faye Toogood, Pip-e by Philippe Starck and Sissi by Ludovica+Roberto Palomba, made entirely from recycled plastic material, using materials derived from industrial recycling, partly from internal production waste and therefore controlled, and partly from post-consumer recycling. Driade, the brand that has made eclecticism its trademark, is committed to following a path that supports sustainability, investing in ever more innovative production systems that guarantee the lowest environmental impact while maintaining excellence and focusing on health and comfort. Black is the new green, marks for Driade the turning point towards the green, eco-sustainable approach that aims to improve the impact on the environment, a trend that has already started with the use of materials and solutions that do not negatively affect the environment, showing that sustainability and sustainable development are not opposing processes, but that they can and must be complementary. Sustainability is a categorical global imperative.