A world reference brand in lighting, its designs and its product of extreme quality are an example for many other firms that want to follow in its footsteps. The beginnings of Flos (which means "flower" in Latin) arose from a brilliant idea: to create objects, starting with a light bulb, that would change the trajectory of the Italian and foreign markets. Dino Gavina and Eisenkeil's small manufacturing plant in Merano had already been creating furniture alongside design masters such as Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Afra and Tobia Scarpa. But in the early 1960s, Gavina became convinced that the time had come to create new lamps. Using the same technology, conceived in the United States and tested in Eisenkeil, used for the Cocoon lamp, the Castiglioni brothers and the Scarpa duo began to create lamps such as the Taraxacum or the Fantasma, which were to be followed by other beautiful and surprising lamps. And so, from day one, Flos was already reinventing the concept of artificial lighting. How is an industry transformed into a laboratory to revolutionize the concept of "lamp"? For Sergio Gandini, who began managing Flos in 1963, the efforts of the company and creative fantasy could coexist without contradiction; the combination of both would bring success to the brand. The move to the industrial district of Brescia allowed for a conducive environment for designers, resulting in products such as the Bauhaus-inspired Jucker lamp by Tobia Scarpa or the revolutionary Arco by the Castiglioni brothers. Flos's strategies were based on what we would now call a Think Tank, which placed the company in a tenacious leadership position in Italian design. Gandini, together with his exclusive designers (the Castiglioni brothers and the Scarpa duo), determined the products, the communication strategy and the image of Flos. Together, they engraved the lines of their own wishes, which gave rise to the most emblematic lamps in the history of lighting. In 1972, the “Italy, the New Domestic Landscape” exhibition at MoMA in New York – America's foremost contemporary art museum – was an unprecedented popular phenomenon celebrating the culture of art and industry. Flos was represented at the show with several pieces (in particular, made by the Castiglioni brothers) thus consolidating the brand as an international avant-garde company. From that moment on, the development of the company and its popularity went hand in hand. Between the 1970s and 1980s, they expanded their production with new facilities, their market with branches abroad, and their product catalog (which included the acquisition of Gino Sarfatti's dell'Arteluce). Another exhibition by the great Achille Castiglioni, which opened in 1984, was held in eight European capitals, from Vienna to Madrid, confirming Flos' experience as unique, unrepeatable and unpredictable in its constant evolution. All great success comes from taking risks (or) the courage to gamble. In the mid-1980s, Sergio Gandini met a young Philippe Starck and agreed to make his fairy tale lamp, Arà. Seeing the potential in Starck's visions, Piero Gandini, who had begun working alongside his father, developed the Arà design on an industrial scale. He became aware of the great talent of the best of postmodern authors and decided to mass-produce one of Starck's designs in plastic for a hotel in New York, a type of iconic table lamp that would later be called Miss Sissi, defined by Starck as : «What everyone thinks in their subconscious that is a lamp». It turned out to be an incredible success (8,000 pieces sold in the first 10 days; 100,000 in a year) and was the first in a long series of iconic bestsellers produced by Piero Gandini, along with Starck or Castiglioni. Through new technologies and materials, they updated the image of Flos and opened ingenious paths of research and development. Under the direction of Piero Gandini, Flos focused on the harmony between iconic forms, traditional craftsmanship and mass production technology. However, the crucial step towards change came with the realization that contemporary objects can be a form of expression, with as many stylistic interpretations as there are languages in the world. And so Piero Gandini drew on the most promising talents in international design: from the "futuristic" style of the Australian Marc Newson (with his Helice lamp in 1993), through the English prophet of minimalist design Jasper Morrison, to Konstantin Grcic, the most refined and eclectic German designer.. International talents also joined the communications team with the arrival of advertising superstar Bruno Le Moult and famed photographer Jean Baptiste Mondino, who created unusual and captivating images of old and new products alike. As Flos entered the new millennium with the passing of the great founder Sergio Gandini, it had already established itself as an industry well-equipped to meet the challenges of globalization. For Piero Gandini, developing a new Flos identity meant having the courage to make radical decisions. Addressing the onslaught of LEDs in the field of lighting was the first step in a second production revolution that began in the early 2000s with the acquisition of Federico Martínez's firm Antares. This led to the creation of Flos Architectural Lighting, dedicated to professional lighting for large areas and public spaces. Piero discovered new designers and put them to work creating lighting architecture thanks to the most advanced technologies. These same technologies were used to create works of art such as "Ohhh!!!" and «Ahhh!!!», Starck's Baccarat crystal sculpture lamps, animated with some «Truismos» by the American Jenny Holzer (critical statements against consumerist values: a contradiction, since they were engraved on luxurious and desirable objects ). And so began, with this combination of art and technology, a production that would go beyond the usual conventions, on an adventurous journey with no turning back. «Today, as never before, we must find the synthesis between emotions, technology, poetry, needs, messages, aesthetic and political values. It is not just about changing the technique, but also society itself and our behaviors, both public and private. We must go beyond our capacity and imagination to improve people's lives… with the same poetry that the light of the ancient flame of a campfire under the stars possesses”, according to Piero Gandini. If the future is now, what will be the artificial lighting of tomorrow? In Flos's vision, there are and always will be entirely new types of lighting. There will be new types that must be studied, developed and produced with a radical and innovative attitude, and they will continue to be balanced with the cultural rigor that gave birth to Flos. All lighting environments should be designed in this way, starting at home with the Home Division. The 2017 collection is an excellent example, in which architects, designers and design artists have created the icons of tomorrow, producing luminaires like sculptures, balancing forms and recreating themselves in games. The Flos Architectural line encompasses a broader environmental vision that includes the workplace, entertainment, and even places of mass consumption. Flos Outdoor focuses on natural spaces such as gardens, parks and landscapes. As Philippe Starck says: “There is no difference between artificial light and natural light. It's just a matter of transmission: the ions and photons remain the same." By Stefano Casciani
Dino Gavina and Eisenkeil's small manufacturing plant in Merano had already been creating furniture alongside design masters such as Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Afra and Tobia Scarpa. But in the early 1960s, Gavina was convinced that the time had come to create new lamps.
Using the same technology, conceived in the United States and tested in Eisenkeil, used for the Cocoon lamp, the Castiglioni brothers and the Scarpa duo began to create lamps such as the Taraxacum or the Fantasma, to which they would Follow other beautiful and amazing lamps.
And so, from day one, Flos was already reinventing the concept of artificial lighting.
How is an industry transformed into a laboratory to revolutionize the concept of a "lamp"? For Sergio Gandini, who began managing Flos in 1963, the company's efforts and creative fantasy could coexist without contradiction; The combination of both would bring success to the brand.
The move to the industrial district of Brescia allowed for a conducive environment for designers, resulting in products such as the Bauhaus-inspired Jucker lamp by Tobia Scarpa or the revolutionary Arco by the Castiglioni brothers. Flos' strategies were based on what we would now call a Think Tank, which placed the company in a tenacious leadership position in Italian design.
Gandini, together with his exclusive designers (the Castiglioni brothers and the Scarpa duo), determined the products, communication strategy and image of Flos. Together, they engraved the lines of their own wishes, which gave rise to the most emblematic lamps in the history of lighting.
In 1972, the exhibition "Italy, the new domestic landscape" at MoMA in New York – the most important museum of contemporary art in America – was an unprecedented popular phenomenon that celebrated the culture of art and industry.
Flos was represented at the exhibition with several pieces (in particular, manufactured by the Castiglioni brothers) thus consolidating the brand as an avant-garde international company. From that moment on, the development of the company and its popularity went hand in hand. Between the 70s and 80s, they expanded their production with new facilities, their market with branches abroad and their product catalog (which included the acquisition of Gino Sarfatti's dell'Arteluce).
Another exhibition by the great Achille Castiglioni, which opened in 1984, was held in eight European capitals, from Vienna to Madrid, confirming the Flos experience as unique, unrepeatable and unpredictable in its constant evolution.
All great success comes from taking risks (or) from courage when betting. In the mid-80s, Sergio Gandini met a young Philippe Starck and agreed to make his fairytale lamp, Arà.
Seeing the potential in Starck's visions, Piero Gandini, who had begun working alongside his father, developed the Arà design on an industrial scale. He realized the great talent of the best of postmodern authors and decided to mass produce one of Starck's designs in plastic for a hotel in New York, a type of emblematic table lamp that would later be called Miss Sissi, defined by Starck as : "What everyone thinks in their subconscious is a lamp."
It turned out to be an incredible success (8,000 pieces sold in the first 10 days; 100,000 in one year) and was the first in a long series of emblematic bestsellers produced by Piero Gandini, together with Starck and Castiglioni. . Through new technologies and materials, they updated Flos' image and opened ingenious paths of research and development.
Under the direction of Piero Gandini, Flos focused on the harmony between iconic shapes, traditional craftsmanship and mass production technology. However, the crucial step towards change came with the realization that contemporary objects can be a form of expression, with as many stylistic interpretations as there are languages in the world.
And so, Piero Gandini turned to the most promising talents of international design: from the "futurist" style of the Australian Marc Newson (with his Helice lamp in 1993), to the English prophet of minimalist design Jasper Morrison, to Konstantin Grcic, the most refined and eclectic German designer...
International talent also joined the communications team with the arrival of advertising superstar Bruno Le Moult and renowned photographer Jean Baptiste Mondino, who created unusual and captivating images of old and new products alike. When Flos entered the new millennium with the passing of the great founder Sergio Gandini, it had already established itself as an industry well equipped to meet the challenges of globalization.
For Piero Gandini, developing a new Flos identity meant having the courage to make radical decisions. Addressing the onslaught of LEDs in the lighting arena was the first step in a second production revolution that began in the early 2000s with the acquisition of Federico Martínez's Antares firm.
This led to the creation of Flos Architectural Lighting, dedicated to professional lighting for large surface areas and public spaces. Piero discovered new designers and put them to work creating lighting architecture thanks to the most advanced technologies. These same technologies were used to create works of art like "Ohhh!!!" and "Ahhh!!!", Baccarat crystal sculpture lamps by Starck, animated with some "Truisms" by the American Jenny Holzer (the critical statements against consumerist values: a contradiction, since they were engraved on luxurious and desirable objects ).
And so began, with this combination of art and technology, a production that would go beyond the usual conventions, on an adventurous journey with no turning back.
«Today, like never before, we must find the synthesis between emotions, technology, poetry, needs, messages, aesthetic and political values. It is not only about changing the technique, but also society itself and our behaviors, both public and private. We must go beyond our capacity and imagination to improve people's lives... with the same poetry that the light of the ancient flame of a campfire under the stars possesses," according to Piero Gandini.
If the future is now, what will be the artificial lighting of tomorrow?
In Flos' vision, there are and always will be entirely new types of lighting. There will be new types that must be studied, developed and produced with a radical and innovative attitude, and they will continue to be balanced with the cultural rigor that gave rise to Flos.
All lighting environments should be designed in this way, starting from the house, with the Home Division. The 2017 collection is an excellent example, in which architects, designers and design artists have created the icons of tomorrow, producing luminaires as sculptures, balancing shapes and recreating themselves in games.
The Flos Architectural line encompasses a broader environmental vision that includes the workplace, entertainment and even places of mass consumption. Flos Outdoor focuses on natural spaces such as gardens, parks and landscapes. As Philippe Starck says: «There is no difference between artificial light and natural light. "It's just a question of transmission: the ions and photons remain the same."
By Stefano Casciani
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