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December 2010Features

The Next Wave
Claudio Luti | Kartell

“The world has grown very small, with markets and competitors everywhere.”

By Ken Shulman

Posted December 15, 2010

There really isn’t a single Kartell style. We aim to take well-designed products, manufacture them on an industrial scale, and insure that they’re durable and affordable but also have enough aesthetic appeal to keep them in showroom windows across the globe. We work with many designers on many projects. All of this, together, creates the Kartell brand. Today we’re present in 98 countries. It’s quite satisfying that our creativity is appreciated on five continents. We’ve had great success in Europe, where the market is traditionally sophisticated. Things are a bit different in America, where clients were used to buying design articles through their architects and interior designers, although that has changed over the past seven or eight years with the appearance of dedicated stores where we can sell directly to the end user. As far as the global market, the most recent crisis has changed everything. Things won’t return to what they were. The world has grown very small, with markets and potential markets and competitors everywhere. Now more than ever, we need a solid strategy and solid fundamentals. In today’s world, you won’t go anywhere without finances. And we intend to maintain our pole position.

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