Alessi's history started in the mid-'50s when Carlo Alessi became the Managing Director and decided to broaden the company's influence by collaborating with external designers. Although times were hard for most people working in the shadow of the war, the factory kept producing works such as the Alessi Citrus Basket, which used stainless steel apposed to the more historically favoured silver, copper and brass.
It was in the '70s and 80's that the company transformed to produce products on a larger scale driven by Alberto Alessi who led Alessi products to become a worldwide household name.
Broadening its awareness to the world, Alessi undertook more collaborations with artists such as Salvador Dali and designers like Phillip Stark amongst many other great creatives.
We particularly like the Alessi Espresso maker by Richard Sapper and the Alessi Kettle, with a bird-shaped whistle by Michael Graves, designed in 1985.
The '90s saw the opening of Museo Alessi with many classics on display, from the Alessi CONDIMENT SET to Philippe Starck's Juicy Salif lemon squeezer. This decade also saw the start of a more bright coloured plastic aesthetic being used in their designs.
"We do believe that beauty can save the world" Alberto Alessi
Alessi is as strong as ever, collaborating with over 500 designers around the globe. The brand really is a 'love mark' of ours; both pioneering and 'B corp ethical' company, plus a showcase for so many designers and their ideas.
Alessi products bring newly found interest to the every-day experiences we all share; be it checking the time on our kaj watch by Karim Rashid, or eating an egg out of our Cico egg cup by Stefano Giovannoni. Designed items bring the extraordinary into our ordinary and make life's moments that little bit 'tastier'.
What we love about many of the products is that they are both practical and life-long decorations, that make our environment unique to us. Like Stark's citrus juicer which not only takes permanent residence at the MoMA New York, but can affordably sit as a lasting design centrepiece in anyone's kitchen.