Alessi (company)

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Alessi S.p. A.

Type	privately held
Founded	1921
Headquarters	Crusinallo, Italy
Key people	Carlo Alessi, Ettore Alessi, Alberto Alessi
Industry	Product Design
Products	household goods
Employees	501
Website	www.alessi.com

Alessi is an Italian kitchenware company. Its designs of everyday and household items are generally created in colorful plastics and stainless steel. Alessi contracts a selection of celebrity architects and designers to create its designs.

[edit] History

Alessi was founded in 1921 to produce crafted products in metal for eating and drinking. In 1935, Carlo Alessi (born 1916), son of Giovanni, was named chief designer. In 1945 he ascended to chief executive and designed the coffee service Bombé, an industrial piece manufactured in four sizes. That same year Carlo's younger brother, Ettore Alessi, joined the company as a technician.

By the 1980s, Alberto Alessi took over the management of Alessi and launched the Alessi company into the design decade through collaborations with designers and architects such as Alessandro Mendini, Ettore Sottsass, Richard Sapper, and Achille Castiglioni. In 2004 Alessi launched the Tea & Coffee Towers, with a new generation of architects such as Zaha Hadid, Toyo Ito, Tom Kovac, Greg Lynn, MVRDV, Jean Nouvel, and UN Studio.

Among the best known of the company's product range are Richard Sapper's kettle with a two-tone whistle, Michael Graves' kettle with the bird shaped whistle, and Philippe Starck's Juicy Salif citrus squeezer.

In 2006, the company reclassified its products under three lines: A di Alessi (products with lower price points), Alessi (the main collection) and Officina Alessi (the most experimental and limited edition pieces). 2006 also saw the opening of Alessi's first New York City flagship store in SoHo.