“Kartell goes Sottsass. A tribute to Memphis” is an unprecedented formula in the furnishings sector, a design capsule with over 80 product references.

Borrowing the idea of a capsule collection from the world of fashion, made up of a few elements that are easy to match and interchangeable, “Kartell goes Sottsass. A tribute to Memphis” is designed to last in time, certainly not just for one season. An “everlasting” design for homes or collective spaces all over the world.

After the flagship stores in Miami, Cologne, Paris and (soon) Stockholm, the concept of the installation will be replicated in all the flagship stores of Kartell in the world (140 monobrand shops in major cities).

The concept has also led to a comic strip and a cartoon. Lorenza Luti, marketing and retail director of Kartell, comments: “After having seen the graphic novel on Sottsass by Massimo Giacon, we decided to invite him to work with us as well, developing three comic strips.”

The result is a sequence of three four-page episodes in which the protagonist is Ettore Sottsass, together with the products he designed for Kartell, part of the collection “Kartell goes Sottsass. A Tribute to Memphis.”

The first episode takes place in space and focuses on the “gestation” of the designs of the Calice/Colonna and Pilastro vases and stools.

The second is set in the jungle and concentrates on the upholstered furnishings of Kartell by Starck, Lissoni and Urquiola, covered with Memphis fabrics (by Ettore Sottsass and Nathalie Du Pasquier).

The third episode will be online on 2 February and will bring new surprises. The comics are silent, the setting surreal and ironic. Edited in video sequences, they can be seen on the social network pages of Kartell and at the website kartell.com

“We are very pleased with this collaboration, because it contributes to interpret the great master Sottsass in a playful, contemporary way, bringing emotions and a smile,” Lorenza Luti concludes.

 See the video 1

 See the video 2