Nicola Coropulis on Poltrona Frau’s legacy, the lessons learnt and the path ahead with editor Mrudul Pathak Kundu

Poltrona Frau has marked a niche for itself, one characterised by an illustrious history made richer by constant evolution. With several generations at the group’s helm, their remarkable journey started a century ago — 112 years, to be precise. As a result of their distinctive vision, the world has borne witness to several landmark moments crafted in collaboration with the creme de la creme of the design world. Glean valuable insights and anecdotes from their journey with Nicola Coropulis, the CEO of Poltrona Frau in conversation with Mrudul Pathak Kundu, Editor at ELLE DECOR India.

Mrudul: You have seen design evolve over the years. What are your thoughts on evolution?

Nicola: I’ve been long enough in this industry to see an evolution in the role of designers versus the companies they work with. In the 90s, designers had become archi-stars, some of them extremely powerful and influential. But I’ve seen that over time, the role of companies has changed because they’ve placed much more attention on branding rather than products. When the product was the focus, the designer was the key driver, the key element of the equation. Today, branding and storytelling are much more effective. The weight of brands has grown. 

The second thing that I see is that design has taken globalisation into account, moving from West to East. The explosion of the China market, the growth of Asian markets as a whole and the boom of India now have brought greater attention from manufacturers, for brands to add new elements to their design culture. For me, this has greatly enriched the value each brand can bring to the market, especially for Poltrona Frau. We’ve always had a multi-layered culture, so this has been great.

The third element is that the ’90s were the last time when an evolution in shapes and form was seen. Now all research has moved into materials and creating more sustainable products. 

The fourth element is that aesthetics are always important, but good aesthetics must live together with comfort and functionality. The fifth element is the fact that we live in a time where digital technology has created a seamless interaction between digital and physical touch points. AI can play a significant role in the evolution of design. 

Mrudul: As things are rapidly changing, I wanted to understand the relevance of classics; Poltrona Frau to me is a classic. What is your take on that? 

Nicola: We are proud of creating classic products. Classic means timeless, alluding to something that was born in a certain period and responded to the needs of the time. It was contemporary when it was born but simultaneously held attractive elements and some style codes which sustained over the decades, becoming timeless.

I see that some of our products launched 15 or 20 years ago, like the Archibald armchair, have become classics. When it launched, it was seen as a strange product. It was an armchair with no arms and a low back, roundish with metal feet. I think we are repeating the same exercise with the Squash Armchair by Faye Toogood, which in my opinion is a couple of years ahead of its time, but will set into motion the evolution of armchairs for the coming years. Classics are also important because in times of big changes and uncertainty, like the one that we are living in, they play a reassuring role. 

Think about the Camaleonda by B&B Italia. They launched it during COVID and it was a shape that resonated with people.

Mrudul: Faye Toogood’s armchair is quite unexpected in terms of shape than your other collaborations, like Jean-Marie Massaud or Sebastian Herkner. What are the qualities that you look for in a collaborator? What is a successful collaboration?

Nicola: They are curious and willing to get out of their comfort zone. They accept that designing a product for a brand like Poltrona Frau is taking a part of our brand’s culture, renouncing some elements of their DNA but bringing most of its added value to create something that is like a baby. 

The baby is from both the mother and the father, but it’s different on its own. Products that carry the signs of the mother, which is the brand and the designs of the father, the designers, will be successful. Faye came to us, she had some ideas different from ours but the result was exciting. She won the NYCxDESIGN Award for the Squash Armchair. It also won the best of NeoCon GOLD 2024 in the furniture category under seating.

Mrudul: How would you describe the spirit of Poltrona Frau in three words?

Nicola: Elegant, classic and innovative.

Mrudul: So my country, India, loves colour. Do you love colour? 

Nicola: I love colour and so does Poltrona Frau. It was the first to use colour in leather. In the mid-80s, Poltrona Frau selected a chromatologist — an expertise almost non-existent at the time — to create a colour palette. Since the technology then had started allowing colour to be used in leather tanning, they created a palette of 73 colours which grew to 96 within a few years. This palette was called the colour system. It has become a common vocabulary for colours, used by most of the industry.

During COVID, we launched a revised colour system called ColorSphere, where we updated or upgraded the colours. Colour is a history that lives with time. Now we have ColorSphere, thought of as a cloud system with clouds that can interact. It’s much easier for our consultants and architects to choose matching colours today.

Mrudul: Leather has been your trademark material. Are there any new materials that have caught your fancy lately that we might see more? 

Nicola: We have been spending some enjoyable time trying out exercises on printed leather. Over the last two years, we’ve done digital laser printing on leather. We embossed leather with the Ozwald Boateng collection launched last year. This year, we did serigraphy on it with the Fornasetti limited-edition Vanity Fair XC armchair.

Another area is textiles, which represents the most popular upholstery material. We want to ensure our textile materials work well with our leathers and their colour palette as well.

Mrudul: I know design copies are a sore topic, but what are your thoughts on them? 

Nicola: Being copied is a sign of success. If you’re copied, it means that you’re recognisable. Having said that, design companies should focus on branding to curb this. They must ensure that their product holds more value than simply the craftsmanship and the originality. All Poltrona Frau products are accompanied by an identity card proving their authenticity. We want to evolve this 20-year-old practice with a blockchain system, giving our creations a unique digital passport. Buyers will be able to scan and verify the product’s originality through an app that can be controlled by them as well as the brand. 

Guaranteeing authenticity is important. Plenty of fakes exist for luxury labels like Louis Vuitton or Hermes, which are quite easy to find online. Digital platforms must refuse to sell copies. We’d encountered an issue with an American platform which was selling our products in their luxury section and copies under a false name under another. It cannot work like that — either you sell the original or the copy. As a matter of fact, copies shouldn’t be sold at all.

Mrudul: Poltrona Frau has enjoyed great success and recognition. How do you visualise the future of this legacy ahead?

Nicola: I think the best way to keep the tradition alive is to constantly innovate. In my opinion, the secret of a strong brand lies in being contemporary to the times that we live in and being able to respond to the needs of the clients. 

A big legacy always creates trouble when deciding what developments should be made. This year we dared a lot with Squash by Faye Toogood and Parka by Draga & Aurel. We are happy to have dared because even if people did not react positively to our changes, they talked about them. In my opinion, we must make people think. That seed of thought is important. 

Mrudul: Any collaborations with Indian designers in the future?

Nicola: Currently, we have the Assaya Armchair by Satyendra Pakhale, an Indian designer currently residing in the Netherlands. We will most likely do something again with him, but of course, the Indian scene is quite dynamic. I’m sure that several Indian designers will come up. As you said before, India is about colour and so is Poltrona Frau. Colour should be used as a theme to create something new. 

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