Founded by Anna Castelli Ferrieri and Giulo Castelli in 1949, Kartell has been a symbol of progressive Italian design ever since.
In 1988, Claudio Luti, their son-in-law who had a background in fashion, acquired the company. The sensibility that Luti had developed under the Versace fashion house, with a love for perfection and tasteful design, heralded a new start for the brand. The fresh approach to materials dictated the new direction and brought real turning points for Kartell. The brand's studying, manipulating and enriching materials resulted in an end product which offered unprecedented characteristics.
After years of research and thanks to a revolutionary innovation, in 1999 Kartell became the first company in the world to use polycarbonate to produce furnishing items. La Marie, a completely transparent chair with modern, minimalist design was created, paving the way for the Louis Ghost chair, still one of Kartell’s iconic best sellers today.