Velca Design
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| Design | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Founded 📆 | 1954 |
| Founder 👔 | Aldo Casaroli and Luigi Vedani |
| Defunct | 1986 |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , Legnano, Italy |
Area served 🗺️ | Europe, United States of America and Japan |
| Products 📟 | Italian-designed furniture |
Production output | (1958-1984) |
| Revenue🤑 | 8.5B Italian lire (1984) |
| 573.4M Italian Lire (1984) | |
| Owner | Aldo Casaroli and Luigi Vedani |
| Members | |
Number of employees | 140 (1986) |
| 🌐 Website | [Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). ] |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Velca Design was an Italian furniture company that operated from 1954 until 1986. Initially, the company sold its furniture products in Italy during the 1950s and subsequently exported them all over the world in the following years. The company sold more than one million pieces worldwide and was awarded the "Compasso d'Oro". Velca collaborated with several important designers and notable figures, including the designers Renzo Piano and Jules Wabbes and the photographer Oliviero Toscani. The company ceased its activities when it was sold to the American multinational Knoll, Inc. in 1986.[1]
History[edit]
Origins[edit]
Velca Design was founded in Legnano, Italy in 1954 by Aldo Casaroli and Luigi Vedani.[2] The combination of the two names of the founders (Vedani, Luigi, Casaroli, Aldo) was used to create the acronym "Velca" for the company name, which later became an international brand. Velca originally designed and produced house furniture and then went on to become one of the biggest suppliers of office furniture.[citation needed]
Early Years[edit]
The company was originally based in a small shed located in Via Balbo in Legnano, Milan. The business expanded significantly between 1954 and 1986, growing to a maximum of 140 employees. A large part of Velca's early success is attributed to the early years of public broadcast television when its advertising strategy significantly accelerated its growth. The year Velca was established was also the year that public access to TV broadcasting was made possible. The creation of furniture made for television sets, whose sales were increasing quickly in Italy, was the first significant expansion for the company.
Velca then started to furnish the Italian catering company Autogrill and began the production of iron footstools and chairs. In the late 1960s, the company moved to a new building in Via Jucker in Legnano, Milan, designed by the architects Vito Latis and Gustavo Latis. It adopted a policy of hiring young designers to renew the catalog by creating new products. It was then that Velca launched the series of K-Chairs, which became one of its most-sold products, and also opened up new markets outside Europe.
The business consolidated its operations, including decentralized production and distribution, and developed commercial agreements with international partners. Velca's success was related to a substantial investment in advertising to promote the innovative vision of the founders. Manufacturing activity continued into the 1990s, but Velca effectively stopped in 1986 with the divestiture of the company by the founders to the American firm Knoll, Inc.[3]
Europe[edit]
In 1957, Belgian furniture designer Jules Wabbes incorporated Velca chairs into the interior design of the new Embassy of the United States, The Hague, specifically in the boardroom, where they were used to complement modernist furniture designed by Wabbes himself. This latter was also a distributor for Velca in the 1960s. The furniture provided was based on Marcel Breuer's principle of design, "livable modernism", a style of interior decoration that upholds modernist values such as sobriety and simplicity of materials.[4]
During the postwar era, Velca started to produce furniture for Knoll, Inc., a US-based furniture company. A contract was signed by Jules Wabbes and De Coene, one of the foremost representatives of the Belgian nation's products, to sell and produce products of the companies Knoll and Dunbar.[5]
Japan and United States[edit]
The many variants made the K series one of the company's most successful products, with a reputation that has gone beyond European borders, creating brand awareness in the United States and also in Japan through the collaboration with Kokuyo. The diffusion of the K-Chairs refers to impressive numbers, which are underlined by the very long list of customers who have had and sometimes still have up to this day K-Chairs in their facilities.[2] Finally, Velca entered the United States market due to the exhibition of one of its products, the "Scaleo", in the Museum Of Modern Arts (MOMA) in New York.[3]
Products[edit]
- Scaleo is a folding ladder, designed by Roberto Lucci and Paolo Orlandini in 1970. The ladder is made of aluminum and ABS polymer. It is also characterized by its practicality: it is light but sturdy and it folds like a book, taking up very little space. Examples of this design can be found at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
- Vip is a coat stand, designed by Roberto Lucci and Paolo Orlandini in the 1970s. This coat hanger was made of ABS polymer, while a matching umbrella stand was made of aluminum. This product includes at least three different versions: coat hangers, and bedroom and bathroom accessories.
- K-Chairs: these were developed between 1970 and 1974 by Lucci and Orlandini. The various versions made the series of K-Chairs the company's most commercially successful product, with sales in Italy, Europe, and major countries such as the United States and Japan. The chairs used a bent plate as an element of the junction of the various parts which distinguished these chairs from previous ones.
- Golf is a stool, designed by Roberto Lucci and Paolo Orlandini. The seat and the footrest were made of ABS polymer, while the pool is made of Chrome.
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Scaleo by Velca Design, designed by Lucci and Orlandini in 1970
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Vip by Velca Design, designed by Lucci and Orlandini in 1970
Velca Design Product Sketches[edit]
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Scaleo sketch, by Lucci & Orlandini
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Vip coat hanger, by Velca Design
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K-Chair sketch, by Velca Design
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Golf sketch, by Lucci & Orlandini
Advertising and Graphics[edit]
Velca was noted for its use of the newly emerging field of mass advertising, which contributed to its early growth.[1]
The graphic designer Alberto Provinciali, the art director Michele Platania, and a young Oliviero Toscani were among the many Velca employees who contributed to the company's advertising projects. Toscani subsequently became one of the most well-known photographers of his time by working with Benetton.[3]
Velca Designers[edit]
Roberto Lucci and Paolo Orlandini were two of the most influential designers for Velca Design. The duo worked on some of the most distinguished products made by the Italian company, including the Scaleo, Vip, Golf, K-Chairs series, and other products such as the Ufo ashtray.
Albert Leclerc worked with Velca Design to design and produce a line of ashtrays called the "Exa" which was launched on the market in the 1960s.
The second pair of designers collaborated with the company, Benanti & Brunori, and created a closable wall coat hanger called "Mini Vip". The name is a direct reference to the other line of coat hangers, produced by Velca Design, named "Vip", also designed by Lucci & Orlandini.[6]
When the concept of the K-Chair was developed between 1970 and 1974, Vedani and Casaroli decided to commission Renzo Piano to design them. In the end, the Italian architect decided to delegate the work to Roberto Lucci, who, at the time, was an assistant professor of Marco Zanuso. This allowed Piano to concentrate on the completion of the design of the Centre Pompidou.[7]
Velca Design also collaborated with Gustavo and Vito Latis, who designed the company's headquarters in Via Jucker (Legnano, Milan) in 1961. The Latis architects also collaborated in designing a milk jug called the "Carafo".[8]
Notable Designers and Collaborators[edit]
- Renzo Piano: was the first architect with whom the company collaborated. Vedani and Casaroli decided to assign the design of the K-Chair to him and he went on to make it the company's most successful product.
- Roberto Lucci & Paolo Orlandini: the duo who worked on many of the well-known products of Velca Design such as the folding ladder "Scaleo" and the stool "Golf".
- Franco Annoni: a designer who worked with Velca for many years designing the Plastic Bedside Table.
- Albert Leclerc: an artist who collaborated with Velca Design on a single project in the 1970s.[9]
- Claudio Platania: the art director during the show "Dove C'è Gente C'è Velca".
- Benanti & Brunori: who worked together on the creation of the coat rack "Mini Vip" in the 1970s.
- Jules Wabbes: an interior designer, furniture maker, and businessman who collaborated with Velca in the late 1950s.
- Oliviero Toscani: together with other employees, he contributed to advertising projects for Velca.
Exhibitions[edit]
"Dove c'è gente, c'è Velca: da Legnano al Moma, 2021"[edit]
Between 5 and 12 September 2021, on the occasion of Milan Design Week and the "Fuorisalone2021", an exhibition about the company Velca Design was set up in the "Sala Rossa" (or "red room" in English) at the Museo Fratelli Cozzi in Legnano. It was developed through a collaboration with "Distretto 5 Vie" and attended by over 400 people.
The exhibition, entitled "Dove c'è gente, c'è Velca: da Legnano al Moma" was organized by the journalist Paolo Girotti to celebrate the company's promotion of innovative design through their graphic explanatory representation and products, and to promote Milan's role of innovative enterprises. The graphic designer Michele Provinciali, the art director Claudio Platania and the director of photography Oliviero Toscani played a key role in the founding idea of the event. It included Velca products related to the years starting from 1954 to 1986. The first sentence of this slogan was used for the first time in the early '80s to promote the renovation of the "Teatro Litta" in Milan. [1]. The exhibition was attended by former employees, who shared company documents such as a letter of appreciation for their work at Velca and a work notebook. It was also attended by the architects Roberto Lucci and Paolo Orlandini, as well as Claudio Platania, together with the sons of Velca's founders, Gabriele Vedani and Daniele Casaroli. Vedani gave two speeches on the evenings of 8 and 12 September 2021. In an interview held with Vedani during the exhibition, Elisabetta Cozzi stated: "Velca has been very important for the city of Legnano, because thanks to the company, it became a pioneer of Made in Italy that the world began to love during those years".[10][not in citation given]
"Dal cucchiaio alla città nell'itinerario di 100 designers, 1983"[edit]
The K-Chair and Scaleo were featured at the exhibition "Dal cucchiaio alla città nell'itinerario di 100 designers", at the ICSID congress in 1983, at the Triennale di Milano.[11]
Mudeto[edit]
Velca's products were also featured in the Mudeto, a digital museum owned by the region of Tuscany that allows for the online display of products like Velca's.[11]
Awards[edit]
- 1975: "Design award" at "2ème Salon International de l'architecture d'intérieur" - Genève [CH], for the Scaleo.
- 1979: Selection XI "Compasso d'Oro" award ADI - Milano, for the K-Chair.
- 1982: "Honorable Mention Award" and "ROSCOE Commendation award" - New York, USA, for the K-Chair.
- 1983: "Die Gute Industrieform" - Hannover [D] for K-Chair.[11]
See Also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Dove C'è Gente C'è Velca– Da Legnano Al M.O.M.A." Museo Fratelli Cozzi. 20 August 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gea Somazzi (5 September 2021). ""Da Legnano al Moma", il percorso della Velca in una esposizione al Museo Fratelli Cozzi". Legnano News. Gea Somazzi.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Accorsi, Andrea (4 September 2019). "Da Legnano a New York: il design Velca in mostra al Museo Fratelli Cozzi di Legnano". Malpensa24. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ↑ Pombo, Fátima; Heynen, Hilde (27 April 2015). "Jules Wabbes and the Modern Design of American Embassies". Interior. 5 (3): 315–339. doi:10.2752/204191114X14126916211229. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Floré, Fredie (14 June 2017). "Serving a Double Diplomatic Mission: Strategic Alliances between Belgian and American Furniture Companies in the Postwar Era". Taylor & Francise Online. 9 (2): 167–185. doi:10.1080/17547075.2017.1325625. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Orlandi, Mauro (9 September 2021). "Celebrare l'esempio che viene dal passato" (PDF). La Martinella. Number 9: 17.
- ↑ "5vie.it" (PDF). 5vie.it. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ↑ Leoni, Maria Manuela (31 October 2015). "Edificio Industriale Velca". www.lombardiabeniculturali.it. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
- ↑ Maria Laura, Bucciantini (1 May 2011). "Ceramiche Leclerc". architettobucciantini.wordpress.com.
- ↑ Cozzi, Elisabetta. "Elisabetta Cozzi, direttrice del Museo Fratelli Cozzi". youtube.com. L'Informazione Online. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Trenti, Luigi; Gualtierotti, Gianfranco; Rovelli, Umberto. "VELCA | Mu.De.To. - Museo del Design Toscano, Museo Design Toscana". www.mudeto.it. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
External Links[edit]
Velca Designers[edit]
- De Coene (in English)
- Albert Leclerc (in Italian)
- Roberto Lucci (in English)
- Paolo Orlandini (in English)
Velca Shows and Collections[edit]
- Franco Annoni (in English)
- Fratelli Cozzi Museum in Legnano (in Italian)
- District 5VIE (in English)
- Velca Headquarters (in Italian)
- Scaleo (in English)
- Mudeto (in Italian)
Velca Collaborations[edit]
- Kokuyo Website (in English)
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