Kartell

The international design firm Kartell is especially known for successful product collaborations with stars of contemporary design such as Ron Arad, Antonio Citterio, Enzo Mari, Piero Lissoni, Alberto Meda, Vico Magistretti, and Philippe Starck. kARTell retells the company's 50-year design history through the lens work of world-renowned photographers such as Bruce Weber and Helmut Newton. Here are 150 Kartell classics like the Bookworm, La Marie, Eros and Mobil, each presented in a kind of visual drama where shapes, materials and colors are altered, transforming familiar objects into even more unexpected designs. Writers and artists like Bob Wilson, Josephine Hart, and David Parsons make for a text as fresh as the photographs themselves. Never has stackable tableware seemed quite so full of personalities; never has a coffee table revealed so many meanings.

Kartell of Milan, Italy, has been producing innovative home and office furnishings since 1949, many early Kartell products are included in museums of design and contemporary art collections.

Franca Sozzani is editor of Vogue Italia.

Luca Stoppini is art director of the magazine and designed Skira's books, Moschino and Piero Pinta