MILAN – Italian Radical Design group, which owns design forward-brands like Gufram, Memphis and Meritalia, has appointed a chief executive officer to oversee the management of the key flagship firms.
The Barolo-based company said Thursday that it appointed Riccardo Pigati, who was formerly the CEO of Gebrüder Thonet Vienna, which was originally founded by Michael Thonet in Austria in 1850, and is currently based in Turin, Italy.
Charley Vezza will continue to serve as the CEO of the Italian Radical Design group, spearheading the creative and artistic strategy and collaborations for Gufram, Memphis, and Meritalia while Pigati will serve as CEO of each of the three brands.
Gufram, which is famous for its Bocca lips sofa and Cactus coat rack, is an experimental label founded in 1966; Meritalia was founded in 1987, while Memphis was born from the 1980s Memphis movement marking a break from traditional furniture design standards. The movement was started by legendary designer Ettore Sottsass and later joined by architects Aldo Cibic, Matteo Thun, English designer George Sowden and French artist Nathalie Du Pasquier and Chistoph Radl.
Members of the Memphis movement. Ettore Sottsass sits top right.
Courtesy of Italian Radical Design group
Italian Radical Design was started by 38-year old Vezza and his mother Sandra, an avid art collector. They took over Gufram in 2012, added Memphis in 2022 and most recently incorporated Meritalia, which is known for its creative freedom, into its Northern Italian group.
Vezza, who wasn’t even born when brands like Gufram and Memphis came to fruition, has been dedicated to promoting it to a digitally native generation. He has been working over the past few years to communicate the “total living” potential of these brands with presentations at Salone del Mobile.Milano and Design Miami. Vezza said the past three years have been “intense” after acquiring Memphis and Meritalia. “The challenges and satisfactions have tripled,” he said, expressing his confidence in Pigati as a manager.
“Riccardo Pigati is a highly experienced manager in the sector: I am confident that he will maintain the perfect balance between a commercial strategy aimed at strengthening and internationalizing the brands and the most radical creative experimentation,” he said.
Charley Vezza
Courtesy of Italian Radical Design Group
