Fos: History of Ceramic

The town of Faenza, in the Region of Emilia Romagna, has been known for its majolica-ware pottery production since the 13th century. Here, Piero Mazzotti and Andri Ioannou founded FOS Ceramiche in 1987, continuing the local tradition of artisanal ceramics manufacturing, with a constant interest in research and experimentation.

FOS designers specialize in unglazed porcelain, or biscuit, and meticulously work at each piece, experimenting with shapes and adding precious gold and platinum accents to their collections. Colors and decorations are always hand-applied, in line with the brand’s attention for detail and passion for perfection, to create unique and exquisite artifacts.

Tell us about your products and what makes them special.

At FOS Ceramiche we constantly research shapes and textures to create contemporary porcelain pieces inspired by the ideal beauty of Nature. Porcelain is a noble and sophisticated material, which we enhance through the play of contrasts: light and shadow, matt and shiny, pure white and precious metals like gold and platinum.

What makes our vases, bowls and centerpieces special is the attention to quality in every single detail and the constant balance between art, craftsmanship and design.

Could you describe your production process?

It all starts with a misshapen piece of clay that we work for days to make it into a prototype for the finished piece. We prepare a plaster mold of the prototype and pour our mix of different, carefully selected, porcelain clays. Once we take the object out of the mold, we dry it and fire it at 920 degrees Celsius. We then glaze it with an airbrush or by immersion and then fire it again at 1260 degrees. Only this way does the porcelain get the strength and durability that characterizes it. At the very end, we add gold and platinum accents by brush, and then fire the piece again at 790 degrees.

Tell us about the history of the company.

The founders of the company are Andri Ioannou and Piero Mazzotti. They met here in Faenza at the school of ceramics “G.Ballardini”. It is been thirty years now and at FOS we keep researching. We started with the first experimentations with stoneware, and we arrived at porcelain, that we started using in 2000. Since then, porcelain has been our favorite material.

How do your surroundings influence your work?

The city of Faenza has an illustrious history as the hub for the production of ceramics and it is the cradle of FOS Ceramiche. Its International Museum of Ceramics (Museo Internazionale della Ceramica, also called MIC) is an essential place of interest and contamination for us and has helped us growing as artists.

Are there special projects or collaborations you are particularly proud of?

We are proud that FOS was chosen to represent Italy in the first Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale in China. Our artworks have been awarded and selected in ceramic competitions and exhibitions as the International Biennale of Ceramic Art of Aveiro and “Women in Italian Design” at the Triennial Design Museum in Milan. Over the years we have collaborated with some of the best award-winning design studios around the world.