The Next Wave
Laura Anzani | Poliform

We’re considered a world leader in closet design. It’s an item that few people notice. It may sound strange to say, but for us nothing is more important than a closet. And nothing better expresses the idea of “Made in Italy.” Like most Italian businesses, we’re family owned and quite small. Because we’ve kept everything in Italy, we can be quick on our feet but still maintain our quality. The challenge will be in responding when the market revives. During our 12 years in America, we’ve seen consumers gradually open up to Italian design. But the U.S. market still considers modern Italian furniture to be high-end, even though many of our collections are affordable. We lose a lot of potential clients because we don’t have a long history here and people aren’t familiar with our brand. And we also have many competitors who, like us, produce beautiful things. Making quality products alone won’t guarantee success in this global economy. We’ll need to start focusing on other elements of the business—on service, for example, which is something I appreciate when I’m buying something.