FAMILY MATTERS Italian brand Moroso continues to defy the odds, masterminded by a true force of nature in Patrizia Moroso
ITALIAN BRAND MOROSO CONTINUES TO DEFY THE ODDS, MASTERMINDED BY A TRUE FORCE OF NATURE IN PATRIZIA MOROSO. BY STEPHEN TODD.
Milan is the beating heart of Italian design but its soul resides some four hours’ drive away in Udine, a small city near the Slovenian border. This is Moroso country, home to the family brand launched by Agostino Moroso in 1952. Today, helmed by his daughter Patrizia Moroso as art director and her brother Roberto as CEO, Moroso is the little brand that could. “We are not competitive with the big companies in terms of turnover,” says Patrizia, adding, “We are not so — come si dice [‘how do you say?’] — dangerous.” Not so dangerous, maybe, but certainly a force to be reckoned with. Moroso’s 40-strong line-up of designers includes Marc Newson, Ron Arad, Tom Dixon and Doshi&Levien. Not bad for a company that started out making what the doyenne calls “very nice” furniture back in the day. Esteemed for its high-quality craftsmanship, Moroso was one of thousands of companies that flourished in the post-World War II economic reconstruction. Business boomed and Patrizia grew up taking prosperity as given. “In my parents’ mind, I was the crazy daughter who went off to art school in Bologna,” she says. “I hung around with artists and cartoonists who came up with these architectural inventions, a mix of Italian Futurism and a streamlined American aesthetic.” »
clockwise from top left: the deep red floors of Patrizia Moroso’s home in Udine, inspired by her visit to Uluru in 2003; ‘Carpet Reloaded’ kilim by Golran for Moroso. A pair of ‘Take a Line for a Walk’ chairs by Alfredo Häberli. Patricia Urquiola’s ‘Smock’ and Häberli’s ‘Take a Line for a Walk’ chairs, dressed by Australian designers; ‘Terreria’ shelving system by Archea Associati; ‘Shadows’ kilims by Golran. Ron Arad’s 1991 collection, including his ‘Double Soft Big Easy’ sofa and ‘Size Ten’ armchair, put Moroso on the map. « When the global economy started to tank in the 1979 energy crisis, Moroso SpA looked set to fail. Patrizia’s parents, Agostino and Diana, called her and her brother back from their studies and asked for their help. “I said, ‘Okay, but I’m studying art… what can I possibly do?’” Patrizia recalls. What she did then is what she does best to this day — she art-directed a collection. “Within a few months we had hundreds of prototypes. It was a strong collection and a nice welcoming into the industry.” Since then, Moroso has garnered a reputation as a visually articulate company that derives pleasure from taking risks. The first designer on board was Ron Arad, whom Patrizia met when he launched his ‘Big Easy’ chair in Milan in 1989. “Ron was a hero, a superstar,” she says. “I’d been following his career for six or seven years. When someone introduced us, I said, ‘Yes, I know your work. It’s very good.’” Arad’s first collection for Moroso, the ‘Soft Big Easy’ armchair was unveiled in 1991; 25 years later, it is still an icon of design. Despite a little black book the envy of all design fans, the designer with whom Patrizia Moroso is most closely associated is ‘the other Patricia’ — Urquiola. When the pair met, in 1998, Urquiola was working anonymously for a Milanese design studio and churning out good designs, but none of them under her own name. A mutual friend encouraged her to get in touch with Patrizia, the pair hit it off instantly and have been best friends ever since. “When I met her she was a volcano of ideas,” Patrizia says. “Today she is more calm but no less creative. In fact, if possible perhaps even more.” Urquiola puts it quite simply, saying the doyenne “gave me credibility”. “If I am a fan of someone’s work, I want to work with them,” says Patrizia. “I love the talent of these people, the way different minds look at the world, the ideas they generate. I will never grow tired of this.” The strategy pays dividends — Patricia Urquiola’s ‘Lowland’ sofa from 2000 remains a Moroso best-seller to this day, and almost every year she breaks out a new design for the brand. At Milan Design Week this year, Moroso launched Urquiola’s ‘Belt’ sofa system, which is a clever combination of the soft and restrained. Trend alert. Patrizia Moroso was in Australia in early October to participate in a Design Speed Date program, where 20 pre-selected creatives in Melbourne and another 20 in Sydney got a few minutes to elevator-pitch the most powerful woman in design today. In parallel, and in deference to her oft-quoted claim that “we are basically making dresses for bodies, which are chairs, armchairs and sofas”, seven Australian brands ‘dressed’ Moroso’s ‘Smock’ chair (by Urquiola) and ‘Take a Line for a Walk’ chair (by Alfredo Häberli). The invited designers were Akira Isogawa, Steven Khalil, Martin Grant, Gorman, Crumpler, Nobody Denim and Kuwaii.
“I love the talent of these people, the way different minds look at the world, the ideas they generate”
Moroso collections are available in Australia exclusively through Hub Furniture. Visit hubfurniture.com.au.