‘We do the fabrics, they do the other things,’is the rather direct way that CEO Nicolò Favaretto Rubelli describes his family company’s clever collaboration with one of the world’s most exciting and in-demand design duos, FormaFantasma. In a genius move within an industry not renowned for innovative thinking, the more-than-130-year-old Italian fabric house has decided to entrust the creative direction of both Rubelli and cutting-edge brand Kieffer to Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, who set up their studio in 2009 and have subsequently become known for a detailed take on spatial design, strategic planning and consultancy.
‘We started working together well over a year ago,’ says Trimarchi, ‘and we took the first six months to just watch, listen and talk to the various departments. Our studio is all about research.’
This considered approach has paid off. After their successful relaunch of Kieffer in autumn 2023, they’re now bringing a zingy and fresh perspective to Rubelli, with a restyling of its showrooms in Paris and Milan, a pared-back brand identity and edgy catalogues and photography.
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Also, despite Trimarchi’s protests that they are not interested in being textile designers, the pair are having a definite influence on Rubelli’s output.
Launched in Paris in January, ‘Gardens’, the latest botanical-themed collection, is rich with the beauty and inate silk craftsmanship Rubelli fans will know and love, but there’s a wow-factor sherbet hit that hasn’t been seen before. ‘Take “Royal Botanica” or “Ramage”,’explains Trimarchi, ‘they’re both based on 17th and 18th-century archive designs. They’re a bit grandma, but we got the design team to simplify them and use these colours that weren’t in the Rubelli palette, like mint, melon, pistachio and lemon, and they immediately became contemporary.’
And this is only really the beginning. Salone saw the release of new wallpaper from a Brit-based Italian designer and a rethinking and rebranding of Rubelli’s furniture offering, and the FormaFantasma duo are looking forward to focusing on pattern for future collections. As Favaretto Rubelli says: ‘We don’t stay still, we move!’ rubelli.com
