Kartell brings its signature style to Claremont with new store

Bold, innovation, versatility, glamour, fun. These are some thoughts bound to spring to mind when design aficionados think of Kartell. A mere mention of the brand conjures up vivid imagery — such is the legend of the esteemed symbol of Italian design. Whether it be collaborations like the Philippe Starck Louis Ghost chair or the Bourgie lamp by Ferruccio Laviani, the pieces are instantly recognisable as Kartell. The company founded in 1949 has expanded rapidly in recent decades and now boasts more than 100 flagship stores and 650 dedicated retail spaces around the world. Its iconic designs are exhibited in New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, as well as its eponymous museum in Noviglio, near Milan. Next week, Perth will join the picture when Trilogy’s two-year bid to lure the brand comes to fruition. STM can reveal Kartell will this week open a permanent “store within a store” at Trilogy’s expansive Claremont showroom — the largest collection of Kartell in Australia. The Kartell Perth studio, prominently positioned with Stirling Highway frontage, will showcase 120sqm of indoor and outdoor furniture, chairs, lighting, tables, upholstered items, accessories and homewares. From the company’s base near Milan, director of Kartell Worldwide, Federico Luti says he is thrilled with the partnership because Trilogy will “represent the lifestyle spirit of the brand and not only the items”. And importantly because they share the same values. Both are generational, family-run businesses, with Luti’s father Claudio (Kartell’s CEO, who spent a decade at the helm of Versace) acquiring the company in 1988 from his parents-in-law, Giulio Castelli and architect and industrial designer, Anna Castelli Ferrieri, who is credited with creating the first modular furniture. While Kartell has expanded significantly under Claudio’s leadership, it has stayed true to its founding pillar: product innovation. “Kartell does not follow trends but what distinguishes us is the ability to always confront new technological challenges and new materials, trying to give life through the designer who can best interpret the creative idea to unique and innovative products,” Luti continues. “When we think about a product, we don’t think about it for a specific market, but we think about it so that it is competitive all over the world, adapting to all our customers regardless of country or culture. We were the first to offer a high-design, quality, innovative, technological and high-end product while remaining affordable. These are all characteristics of our DNA that have allowed us to create products that are innovative but at the same time accessible to most consumers.” Luti says the company has always focused on sustainability and it remains a strong ever-evolving focus. Recent developments include a material which allows transparency like polycarbonate but is derived in part from vegetable waste, and upholstery made with a yarn obtained from plastic bottles collected from the sea. “All our products are totally recyclable,” he says. “Today we work to achieve results that technology had not previously allowed us, through new and sustainable materials such as recycled raw material, biopolymers derived from plant waste and Smart Wood, which we will expand with a new collection. We continually reinvent products that are part of our history, creating them with new materials, new finishes and new colours.” Tyler Formica, managing director of Trilogy Furniture and Kartell Perth, believes their partnership is a perfect fit. “I’d been looking for a new contemporary brand to join the Trilogy stable for a while and I started campaigning to get Kartell on board, since mid-2019,” Formica explains. “I convinced a company representative who was on a pre-pandemic international trip to make a detour to Perth. This is where the store-within-a-store idea was born and the deal was set in motion (it was later sealed when Formica and Luti met in Paris). “Kartell lends itself to both contemporary and classical design styles and integrates seamlessly into both. It’s modern and fresh, but still elegant and comfortable. We’re excited to show how a classic style can be forged with a contemporary aesthetic.” Luti agrees, adding Kartell’s identity is not defined by a precise style, but by the wealth of collective work. “To do this, we must have courage: courage to risk, the courage to always offer products that by their nature are not only beautiful but also technologically advanced.” That courage has been rewarded with respect and adoration the world over. HAIR & MAKEUP: HENDRA PHOTOGRAPHIC ASSISTANT: MARTIN DRYG LUNDMARK