Integral to Kartell’s design output in the 1960s, Joe Colombo had his life cut tragically short, dying of a heart attack on his 41st birthday. Still, the designer’s legacy and his creations have endured due to his outlook being so far ahead of its time.
He deeply shared the Italian brand’s belief in the marriage of practicality and beauty. Concentrating on modularity, with an innate understanding of how a product should be able to move and evolve with its owner, his approach was revolutionary. ‘Colombo had the gift of turning visionary ideas into tangible objects, capable of entering everyday life without losing their innovative strength,’ says Lorenza Luti, Kartell’s marketing and retail director.
It was the fact that Kartell shared similar obsessions – what Luti refers to as, ‘a curiosity for materials and a drive to experiment with technologies, to imagine a different future’ – that made this such a very fruitful collaboration, leading to icons such as the ‘KD28’ lamp.
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Echoing the shape of the ‘Componibili’ storage unit by Kartell co-founder Anna Castelli Ferrieri, the design speaks of the ‘extraordinary atmosphere of the time, when ideas naturally intertwined’, says Luti, who is, in fact, the granddaughter of Castelli Ferrieri. The lamp’s reissue, she adds, evokes that past era, ‘bringing into the present an object that continues to speak to us about the future’.
An example of how an icon can become relevant again, the ‘KD28’ is, adds Luti, ‘not just a re-edition, but a true reinterpretation’. The original’s opaline bulb, which featured a central hole to disperse heat, has been replaced with a seamless, satin-finished version – an upgrade made possible by LED technology.
‘It is cleaner, more elegant and refined,’ says Luti. The base, which in the 1960s was made of ABS (a form of plastic), is now produced using recycled materials, in shades that ‘seem to emerge directly from Colombo’s rich, vibrant and intense interiors’. There’s also the addition of a cable and switch co-ordinated to each of the eight colourways. ‘In essence, it is a remix,’ Luti explains. ‘The original spirit remains, but updated materials, finishes and sustainability project it into the present.’
Looking to the archive is natural for a brand with the heritage of Kartell, which was founded by Giulio Castelli in 1949 and remains in the family today, but this is not purely an act of reflection. ‘Memories from the Future’, the exhibition that opened earlier in 2025 to celebrate Colombo’s contribution and mark the 25th anniversary of the Kartell Museum, suggests that it’s tomorrow that is the focus.
‘The future is not something to be passively awaited, but a horizon to be built today, starting from a deep knowledge of the past,’ says Luti. ‘Memory is not a nostalgic exercise but an active engine of innovation. The collaboration between Kartell and Joe Colombo was rooted in the idea that design is in constant evolution – both in addressing the challenges of the present and in paving the way for solutions that will meet the needs of the future.’ kartell.com
