Pop Craft: Altreforme

Tell us your story.

altreforme was established in 2008 as a branch of the Fontana Group, a leader in designing and crafting aluminum shells for luxury automobiles such as Ferrari and Rolls Royce since 1956. Behind this ambitious project is Valentina Fontana, founder and art director of the brand and third generation owner of the family business. The brand was officially launched in 2008 in the United States at Design Miami with a collection by architect Aziz Sariyer and Valentina Fontana. Year after year, our brand earned its place in the design world, thanks to unique and innovative products that combine artistic value, craftsmanship, forms, and colors manufactured entirely in Italy.

Our catalog boasts collections by famous designers and star architects, notably Aziz Sariyer, Marco Piva, Garilab, Elena Cutolo, Antonio Aricò, Serena Confalonieri, Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba, Alessandro Zambelli, Giorgia Zanellato and Daniele Bortotto, and two of the most celebrate names in fashion: Yazbukey and Moschino.

The high quality of our creations lead us to be commissioned for important projects such as the Hotel Gallia in Milan and Moschino’s boutique in Paris. altreforme is the recipient of important international awards, among which the Elle Décor Design Award. Each year we introduce our new collections during the prestigious Milan Design Week.

​Altreforme’s products are mostly made with aluminum. Why have you chosen this material?

Aluminum is the core business of our parent company, Fontana Group. It is a light, versatile, and sustainable material that, with the help of our know-how and available advanced technologies, can be modeled in a variety of ways and take on “other forms” (translating to “altre forme” in italian) every time. Furthermore, we have also embraced a green philosophy: our products are made entirely of aluminum that is 100% recyclable and eco-compatible, born from polluting-free and zero-impact production processes.

How does your production process combine artisanal expertise and digital innovation?

We offer unique and original solutions that can be considered almost like works of art: we combine the purity and substance of aluminum with eccentric finishes, transforming this proud material into a product unlike any other. A playful irony of contemporary and comfortable forms that are also elegant and studied.

All this would not be possible without our advanced technologies developed in the automotive field and in constant process of evolution: cold and hot printing, folding, calendaring, turning, CNC milling, assembling, welding, design aesthetic verification, and 2D, 3D, and water-based laser cutting. We combine these state-of-the-art technologies with our experienced workforce, which today amounts to over one-thousand employees who have grown with the company and 63 years of history. They have developed their expertise in the automotive fields, working on both prototypes and cars, where allowed fault tolerance is just 0.1 mm.

What makes your products truly unique and special?

Uniqueness is certainly one of our strengths: every product is made and tailored to each client, reflecting our strong belief in customization. We offer our clients infinite possibile solutions, both aesthetic and functional: our altreforme sartoria line is a service that allows clients to request exclusive, bespoke products customized in any shape, dimension, and finish.

We achieve what for most is not possible, as we do not stop when faced with an obstacle or challenge. Our objective is to satisfy every request, even the most extravagant, because altreforme clients are exceptional, international, and forward-thinking. They want to distinguish themselves from the ordinary and choose to be surrounded by a world that best represents them. That’s why our motto has always been “yes to all”.

What are altreforme’s core values and philosophy?

altreforme brings new value and expertise to the design world, giving shape to completely new and different ideas that are otherwise impossible to create with aluminum without without the knowledge and technology that the Fontana Group possess.

With an eye to continuous improvement, we devote ourselves to researching and developing new technologies to apply to the design field, in order to offer innovative solutions with each new year that are only possible through constant investments in research, development, and creativity. At altreforme, technology meets imagination to create something not yet envisioned yet and never made because our mantra is diversity.