Memphis Milano joins Gufram under Radical Italian Design

Memphis Milano, a brand that has a rich history and extreme importance in shaping Italian design in the 80s has now joined Gufram, becoming a part of the design collective Italian Radical Design. Italian Radical Design was founded by Gufram owners and entrepreneurs Sandra and Charley Vezza, who visualise a company that celebrates and amplifies Italian brands that are unconventional and add to the idea of radical design. Italian Radical Design sets out to achieve this vision by creating a collective of studios that are known for their non-conformist style, Gufram and Memphis Milano being the first. “Memphis is our first acquisition and we are quite proud of it. We will work on the Memphis Milano catalogue with respect and attention, developing the best strategies to support the challenges in the upcoming years,” says Charley Vezza, CEO of Italian Radical Design, about this recent development.

Radical being the keyword, the design collective plans on personifying the Italian radical design movement in the 21st century by bringing together studios that share this unconventional approach and philosophy. Sandra and Charley Vezza acquired the cross culturalist design studio, Gufram in 2012, and with Charley Vezza’s artistic vision and marketing, the brand has once again made a comeback and spearheaded the conversation on radical interior design, something they plan for Memphis Milano as well.

Memphis Milano was founded by Etrore Sottsass in 1981, and worked with the intention of merging mid-century modernism from the 60s with minimalism from the 70s. Drawing influence from Art Deco and Pop Art, Memphis style of design became predominant in the 80s with its loud colours, theatrical shapes and extrinsic looks. These themes transcended into interiors, home accessories, lighting, textiles, brand identities, ceramics and art. As a reaction to the functionality aspect of design, Memphis Milano worked on being something more ‘sensual and exciting’, as described by Sottsass himself. Alberto Bianchi Albrici, the owner of Memphis Milano since 1996 is delighted to pass the torch down to Charley Vezza and his team at Italian Radical Design, knowing that they truly appreciate the Memphis design movement and can respect its philosophy going into the future.

Under Italian Radical Design, the two brands will maintain their creative and organisational autonomy, while Vezza and his team enhance the studios by using new commercial strategies while still celebrating their history and heritage. With the plan to accommodate more new studios under Italian Radical Design, Vezza shares, “There are a couple of other brands that we think would be great additions to the family. The acquisitions for us are not only guided by reason, but also from the heart: we like being captured by the stories, the projects, the people. After all, when talking about Italian design, it’s very easy to be fascinated, but falling in love as we did with Memphis doesn’t happen every day.”

As new strategies are put into place for 2022, Memphis Milano plans to host a large exhibition, celebrating the brand’s history and all its products.