GIANCARLO PIRETTI

Giancarlo Piretti began his design practice in the early 1960s. It was a time marked by a seismic shift in furniture design – one of rebellion, experimentation and social transformation. The era rejected the refined sophistication of earlier modernism and instead celebrated popular culture, mass production, and the democratic potential of good design. Embracing synthetic materials– furniture reflected the optimism of technological advances – underpinned by widespread economic boom and the optimism of the space race.

Riding the wave of this post​‑war design relevance, Giancarlo Piretti presented his most famous work - the Plia chair for Anonima Castelli. Arriving in a bustling design ecosystem alongside Bertoia’s wire chairs, Magistretti’s Carimate wicker lounge chair, and Sottsass’s Memphis​‑era experiments; the Plia’s language was completely its own. Transparent, functional, geometric and foldable– it encapsulated the attitude of time – made to serve structural and functional purposes rather than any overt decorative appeal.

To create the Plia Giancarlo Piretti harnessed the latest technology. By employing fibreglass formally used to make sunglasses, he managed to create reinforced plastic that was both strong and lightweight. In terms of the Plias desired use, it was not intended to be a fixed chair around the table – rather a chair that you collect from another other room when needed. By using thin metal tubes and clear plastic - it is visually light and resists being intrusive or aesthetically demanding.

The Plia’s popularity was instantaneous – with the famous Italian fashion designer Mila Schön ordering thousands at first sight at the 1967 Milan Furniture Fair. Only three years after its release, the Plia was featued MoMA’s 1970s Radical Furniture exhibition – further cementing it as an instant design classic. In the spirit of democratic design, Castelli’s reduced the price of the chair with the intentions of diminishing the elitist conventions of the design world, and instead embraced the widespread “pop market culture.” Adopting this philosophy was a bold move for the company, but it ultimately paid off - as the Plia became one of Castelli’s most profitable designs to date. Between 1969 and 2022, Castelli has sold around six million Plia chairs.

Over half a century later, Giancarlo Piretti’s design continues to offer a perfect harmony of form and function, making it an enduring reference point in the history of Italian modern furniture and a genuine time​‑proof design.