Cassina

Cassina has been designing the future of interiors for 90 years. Founded by Cesare and Umberto Cassina in Meda in 1927, the company launched industrial design in Italy during the 50’s by taking a completely new approach which saw a shift from handcraftsmanship to serial production. The company was pioneering in the way that it showed a striking inclination for research and innovation, combining technological skill with traditional craftsmanship. For the first time important architects and designers were involved and encouraged to envision new designs to be transformed into projects, a characteristic that still distinguishes the company. Today Cassina continues to represent new ways of living, creating harmonious settings that bring together the best of contemporary design. Cassina is particularly specialised in carpentry workmanship and the manufacturing of upholstered armchairs and sofas. All products are in fact now branded with the MedaMade logo, a guarantee of the quality and uniqueness of locally produced products. The brand has received four Compasso d’Oro prizes, for individual products, including the Maralunga sofa by Vico Magistretti in 1979, and in 1991 in recognition of the company’s “innovative role and forerunning international approach within the Italian cultural and manufacturing sector”. In 1964 the Cassina I Maestri Collection began with the acquisition of the exclusive worldwide rights to serially produce four models designed by Le Corbusier (who was alive at the time), Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand. Over the following years this collection has brought together some of the most iconic furniture by the greatest 20th Century architects of modern classics (Gerrit T. Rietveld, Charles R. Mackintosh, E. Gunnar Asplund, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charlotte Perriand, Franco Albini, Marco Zanuso) with the aim of disseminating their cultural values. These re-editions are authentic and attentive reconstructions studied to respect the original models, working in close collaboration with the authors’ heirs and official foundations. Many renowned Italian and international designers and architects have collaborated and continue to collaborate for the Cassina I Contemporanei Collection including: Vico Magistretti, Gio Ponti, Mario Bellini, Rodolfo Dordoni, Konstantin Grcic, Jaime Hayon, Piero Lissoni Gaetano Pesce and Philippe Starck. Their continuous interpretation and innovation of contemporary living has resulted in a range of visions that have marked the evolution of Italian design. In 2015 the Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola was nominated Art Director of Cassina. In 2013 Cassina SimonCollezione was presented following the acquisition of Simon, the historical Italian brand founded by Dino Gavina and Maria Simoncini in the 1968. This collection of emblematic design, characterised by an experimental approach, tells the story of the relationship between culture and industrial production, and brings together names such as Carlo Scarpa, Marcel Breuer and Kazuhide Takahama. Cassina has a strong retail network with its own DOS (Directly Owned Stores) in Meda (HQ), Milan (2), London, Madrid, New York (2) Paris (2) and Shanghai, and important collaborations with local partners and dealers throughout the world.