MEMPHIS MILANO JOINS GUFRAM IN ITALIAN RADICAL DESIGN
7 February 2022
Milano, February 7, 2022 - Memphis Milano, the company founded in the eighties as an incubator of the cultural movement headed up by Ettore Sottsass, who was able to involve audacious international architects, designers and creatives, has become a part of Italian Radical Design, the new group founded by entrepreneurs Sandra and Charley Vezza, who in 2012 became the owners of Gufram, one of the most original Italian design brands.
Italian Radical Design was born with the objective of preserving and enhancing Italian design brands that are characterised by an unconventional approach.
Memphis Milano transformed design into a media phenomenon aimed at strong visual communication by introducing new shapes, new materials, and new themes, and by establishing itself as the “Memphis style“.
The recent acquisition allows Italian Radical Design to access Memphis Milano’s precious cultural heritage and historical archive with the objective of strengthening its stylistic identity, while making it more contemporary.
Memphis Milano and Gufram, under the direction of Charley Vezza, CEO of Italian Radical Design, will maintain their organisational autonomy in order to continue valorising each company’s history and cultural heritage, but also to strengthen new synergies and commercial strategies.
Alberto Bianchi Albrici, who worked for Memphis Milano with passion and dedication for the past forty years, and acquired the company from Ernesto Gismondi in 1996, states: “I was thinking about giving my work continuity with the necessary contribution of a young figure that first and foremost knows and appreciates Memphis and its actors’ design movement - respecting the philosophy I have been preserving all these years. Charley Vezza struck me with his passion and his entrepreneurial work experience. I am proud to still be involved in this experience and to pass the torch to Charley and his team with the objective of projecting the company towards the future”.
“After 10 wonderful years with Gufram we have decided to expand to new worlds, dedicating our time to a project that has the objective of revitalising historic Italian design brands that are united by an unconventional, radical and non-conformist vision”, says Charley Vezza, CEO of Italian Radical Design. “Italian Radical Design was born with the objective of identifying brands similar to ours in their way of interpreting design, as it was for Gufram, and creating a synergic system of valorisation and revitalisation. We will work on the Memphis Milano catalogue with respect and attention, developing the best strategies to support the challenges in the upcoming years. Memphis is our first acquisition and we are quite proud of it. There are a couple of other brands that we think would be great additions to the family. The acquisitions for us are not only guided by reason, but also from the heart: we like being captured by the stories, the projects, the people. After all, when talking about Italian design, it’s very easy to be fascinated, but falling in love as we did with Memphis doesn’t happen every day”.
In 2022, Memphis Milano will elevate its communication in full respect of its historical values, and will be the protagonist of a large exhibition showcasing all its creations.
ITALIAN RADICAL DESIGN
Italian Radical Design is the result of Sandra and Charley Vezza’s vision. Owners of Gufram since 2012, their objective is preserving and valorising historical Italian design brands. The group, based in the Barolo area in Northern Italy, has recently acquired the historical Italian brand Memphis, founded in 1981 and recognised worldwide for its iconic production, and its radical and non-conformist spirit.
https://www.italianradicaldesign.com
