Memphis Milano and Gufram are two historical brands of radical Italian design, each producing icons that have become part of the collective imagination all over the world. This week, they became one big reality: The two companies will now become part of Italian Radical Design, a new group founded by Gufram owners Sandra and Charley Vezza with the goal of “enhancing Italian design brands characterized by a distinctive non-conformist approach.”
Memphis is a movement that was born in Milan. Between reality and legend, it is said that on the evening of December 11, 1980, gathered in the small house of Ettore Sottsass and Barbara Radice, a group of friends—Michele De Lucchi, Aldo Cibic, Matteo Thun, Marco Zanini and Martine Bedin—between a cigarette and a glass of wine, dreamed of a different kind of design. One that would break the mould and experiment freely. A spinning Bob Dylan record, playing “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again,” caught the group’s attention by the final verse of the refrain. Thus, the moniker of a movement was born.
Designers Nathalie Du Pasquier and George Sowden are also linked to the movement’s early days. And over the years, many other notable signatures have created for the brand, including Andrea Branzi, Michael Graves, Arata Isozaki, Shiro Kuramata, Javier Mariscal, Alessandro Mendini, and Marco Zanuso.\
Ernesto Gismondi, designer and founder of Artemide, served as managing director of Memphis Milano before selling the brand to Alberto Bianchi Albrici in 1996. Up to this day, Albrici has kept the archive alive with re-editions and historical pieces. “I thought of my work as a continuity, with the necessary contribution of a young person who first of all knew and appreciated the Memphis design movement and its actors, [and who would] respect its philosophy over the years,” says Albrici. “Charley Vezza dazzled me with his passion and entrepreneurial work experience. I am proud to remain involved in this adventure, passing the baton to Charley and his team with the goal of projecting the company into the future.”
Vezza has been at the helm at Gufram since 2012, when his family acquired the Italian firm known for producing imaginative products under the banner of cross-culturalism since 1966. As Gufram and Memphis Milano convene under the newly formed group Italian Radical Design, of which Vezza will serve as CEO, the two brands will maintain their organizational autonomy.
“Italian Radical Design was created with the intention of identifying brands similar to our way of understanding design, as was already the case for Gufram, and create a synergistic system of valorization and revitalization,” explains Vezza. “We will work with respect and attention on the catalog of Memphis Milano developing the best strategies to support the challenges of the next years.”
Amid that strategic planning, Vezza also has his radar on additional opportunities for expanding the Italian Radical Design footprint. “Memphis is our first acquisition and we are particularly proud of it. We already have in mind other brands that could join this family,” he shares. “After all, when you talk about Italian design it is very easy to be fascinated, but it is not every day that you fall in love, as happened with Memphis.”
The near future will see the 50th anniversary of the Cactus, designed by Guido Drocco and Franco Mello for Gufram. The celebration will include a special art collaboration, a monograph dedicated to Memphis Milano, and the co-presence of the two companies during Milan Design Week.
