Design Icon: Aldo Cibic
From his Memphis years in Milan to his partnership with Ettore Sottsass and later ventures in investigative design, Aldo Cibic has shaped a generation of architects and designers with his ever evolving approach, crafting beautiful pieces for a vast selection of Italian brands that have quickly become iconic examples of creativity and innovation.
Aldo Cibic, born in 1955 near Vicenza, moved to Milan at a young age to pursue his Architecture and Design studies. At just 22 years old, he was working at the prestigious studio founded by Ettore Sottsass, later becoming a partner of the studio Sottsass & Associati. From 1980 to 1987 he was one of the founders and key contributors of the Memphis group, a design and architecture group started by Sottsass that focused and pioneered Postomodern furniture, fabrics and ceramics. Aldo Cibic himself radically transformed the design world during those years with his vast production for Memphis, including the iconic Madison floor lamp and the Belvedere marble consolle.
These years were essential in Aldo Cibic's development as a designer and architect, building the foundation of his research activity and innovative approach, while gaining international acclaim for his work in Milan.
I want to raise the bar, to think of a design process aligned with the times in which we live. To understand what is more meaningful for a larger public.
At the end of the 1980s, after his experimentations with Memphis, Cibic launched his first independent project, the self-produced "Standard" collection: his idea of design shifted from the eclectic vision of the first part of his career to a more human form of design, with the production of human centered objects presented in an impromptu exhibition in his loft home in Milan.
This period marked the beginning of indepented research in the field of social innovation design with the establishment of his firm Cibic Workshop, focusing on a diverse variety of projects ranging from architecture to interiors, up to enviromental development and multimedia activities. His vision has gained an international recognition that still lasts today, as the Workshop has been nominated as one of the "100 best architecture firms in 2019" by Domus Magazine.
